Neighbor News
RVRHS Italian Language Program Earns Grant
RVRHS's Italian teacher applied for a grant from two collaborating organizations that promote and preserve the Italian heritage.
Mount Holly, N.J. – The Italian language program at Rancocas Valley Regional High School (RVRHS) recently announced that it has been awarded $4,000 in grant money from Filitalia International and the Italian Consulate.
Italian teacher Teresa Nale saw an opportunity in the fall to apply for a grant from two collaborating organizations that promote and preserve the Italian heritage, language, and customs throughout the world. Filitalia International and the Italian Consulate in Philadelphia work jointly to award grants to a number of high schools in an area stretching from West Virginia to Philadelphia and New Jersey.
“The Italian consulate wants to strengthen the bond between Italy and the United States,” said Nick Santangelo, Executive Assistant Director of Filitalia. “We looked into the programs at various schools and awarded five grants to the most impressive ones.”
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In February, representatives of both organizations visited RVRHS to learn more about the Italian language program, to talk to both Nale and her fellow Italian teacher Teresa Arpino, and to sit in on some lessons. Following the school visit, Nale and Arpino were notified that the RVRHS Italian language program had won the grant which will be distributed in the fall of 2023.
Italian, Spanish and French are the three World Languages taught at RVRHS. Italian was introduced in 2002, and today 215 students in grades 9 to 12 study Italian. Nale was hired 21 years ago as the first Italian teacher in the district.
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“My parents were immigrants from Italy, arriving in the 1960s,” Nale explained. “We spoke Italian at home, and I learned English when I attended kindergarten. I majored in Italian in college and always knew that I wanted to teach the language.”
Plans for the grant money have not been solidified, but the teachers expect to use it to go on field trips and to purchase online resources for the students.
"I am very excited about this recognition for our Italian Department,” said Joseph Martin, RVRHS principal. “Signora Nale has been a driving force in the World Language Department for a couple of decades now. What she is able to accomplish with our students in terms of language acquisition and cultural appreciation is outstanding.”
