Inaugural Italian Language Camp
The inaugural Servite College Italian Language Camp at Nannup was challenging but rewarding. The Year 11 and 12 Italian students travelled by bus to our Nannup campus on Wednesday morning and returned to our Tuart Hill campus on Friday afternoon. Along the way students listened to and happily sang along to Italian songs like “Sarà Perché Ti Amo” and “Mamma Maria”. Students suggested songs for the playlist that were a part of their family’s musical heritage, quindi even “Luna Mezzo Mare” and “L’Italiano” were featured.
Upon arrival Prof Tati gave a cooking masterclass on how to make gnocchi, using a recipe passed down to her from her nonna. Students were given the opportunity to prepare the dough and the sugo al pomodoro and even a pesto sauce option was provided per la cena that evening. The first movie night featured “Cinema Paradiso”, an Italian classic that explores the theme of l’amicizia and i rapporti which reflects the topics the Year 11 students have been working on in class this term.
La seconda giornata we were treated to a very welcome surprise visit by our preside, Prof Vicoli. As always she was full of boundless enthusiasm as she joined our Italian assistant, Cristina and the other Profs in delivering a cultural, historical and linguistic interactive exploration of Italy, including an explanation of how the Medici Family and Dante Alighieri were intertwined with our very own Servite history in Florence. After all that brain work on all things Italian, gli studenti were treated to a merenda that featured Chinotto and some tasty Italian treats from il Bel Paese.
During our passeggiata in the town of Nannup we greeted the friendly locals with a cheery “buongiorno” and were delighted to discover that one of the shopkeepers had studied Italian in Perugia per un anno! Non si sa mai (you never know) where you will encounter the beauty and influence of Italian culture and language in questo mondo meraviglioso. Dopo un pranzo rilassante al ristorante we returned to our Nannup campus to engage our creative and artistic side by making personalised maschere di Carnevale.
Per cena il giovedì sera we feasted on pizza made lovingly by one of our parents, (grazie mille Tania Pietracatella!) who also prepared i biscotti and una ciambella deliziosa for us. We are so very blessed to have such a generous and family-oriented school community with parents that are always happy to share their talents and expertise (and delicious food) with our students. It was a delight to start hearing the students using their Italian language skills and gain confidence in their pronunciation and conversational Italian. As you all know, it takes courage to try to speak another language, but it is so good for enhancing our brain and memory functions. Learn more here. Cristina and one of our very own students inspired us with their knowledge and understanding of five languages!
Dopo la cena, students helped with the chores, just like a true Servite family, had some time to work on their compiti and then it was time per andare al cinema. The movie classic che abbiamo guardato giovedì sera was “La Vita È Bella” which tied in beautifully with some of the discussions we had earlier in the day regarding Italy’s history and its shift from a monarchy to a republic. The movie had such an impact on our students that it became one of the top three favourite movies of one of our students. Now when Prof greets students with an enthusiastic, “Buongiorno Principessa!” they know where I got the phrase from and its social and cultural context.
L’ultimo giorno was dedicated to cleaning our beautiful campus in preparation for the next lucky group to enjoy its facilities. We concluded our first ever Italian Language Camp in true Servite spirit with a prayer circle led by our mature Year 12s. We had a prayer of gratitude for the memorable experiences we had shared and a prayer of protection for a safe journey home. This would be the 12s last visit to Nannup (and we hope it’s one they will treasure), but the 11s are already looking forward to their Language Camp next year.
Our gratitude goes to Prof Tati and Cristina for their tireless efforts in planning, preparing and delivering a camp experience that will shine brightly in our students’ minds for many years to come.
– Prof Millimaci, Head of Learning Area Language
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