Logan High grads must parlez-vous

Logan eighth-graders: Parlez-vous Français?

How about Español? Deutsch? Russkii?

Don't worry. You will soon.

The Logan Board of Education has become Utah's first to require a foreign language for high school graduation. Students, beginning with next year's freshmen, will be required to take two trimesters of the discipline.

The new requirement, forwarded by Logan High foreign language teachers, apparently won't be extra work for most students. This year, 85 percent of Logan High's 1,710 students are enrolled in French, Spanish, German or Russian, principal Patricia Hansen said.

The move impresses Joan Patterson, state educator licensing coordinator and former language specialist for the State Office of Education.

"I think if Logan in four years can demonstrate this cohort of students is actually graduating better prepared to go to college, I think other districts may take a look at it," she said.

Logan's stance is the first of its kind, but not for lack of trying.

In 1998, then-state superintendent of public instruction Scott Bean proposed schoolchildren learn two foreign languages as part of a lengthened school day.

But the idea split the State Board of Education and fizzled out. While some backed Bean, others noted many kids already struggle in English language arts and feared more kids would drop out with the additional requirements.

Last spring, Logan High foreign language teachers Linda Bacher, Jennifer Lugo, Jane Nicholson and Frank Schofield sought to require foreign language.

They found theirs was Logan High's only department without a graduation requirement — a void made more obvious as new state-mandated courses in civics and financial literacy and a local, physiology-related course for athletes came on line, department chairwoman Lugo said.

"We felt (our classes) were just as important as the other classes they were adding, or even more so," she said.

Also, universities including the University of Utah require foreign language at entrance. Utah State University in Logan recommends, but doesn't require, foreign language, the admissions office reports.

The Logan High teachers last spring created a graduation requirements proposal, hammered home with research showing foreign language could help students in the job market and improve college entrance test scores.