Foreign language is a required credit for graduation at Santa Fe High. Spanish, French, and Latin are the classes being offered.

Spanish classes are, as of Oct. 4, going great. Karina Beltran, one of the Spanish teachers who is also the department head, said, “We’re reading a lot, covering accents, grammar, and spelling.”

Some teachers may use the app Duolingo to help the students learn a language, but not all of them do. “I know that some teachers do use Duolingo and other services, but every teacher does their own thing.=,” Ms. Beltran said. “We follow the same curriculum, but they do implement other things.”

Students may find it difficult to comprehend learning a new language. The process can be hard for teachers as well as students. Ms. Beltran said that overall, it depends on how motivated students are and how much they apply themselves to the class and their learning.

“It depends on the student and if they’re exposed enough to the language, if they practice. It depends on so many things,” Ms. Beltran said. It can be difficult but it’s fun.”

Ms. Beltran also leads the Bilingual Club, which meets once a week on Thursdays during lunch. The club is planning a field trip to the La Cosecha Dual Language Conference in Albuquerque in November.