World Languages

Solebury School’s World Languages Department offers courses in Spanish, French, and Arabic. The goal of our department is to prepare students to communicate successfully in another modern language.

Teachers stress active communication and work to develop students' skills in cultural awareness, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. All courses offered in World Languages fulfill a global studies program credit.

Solebury School students are required to complete three years of World Language classes with two consecutive years in one language. After fulfilling this requirement, students should be functionally proficient, able to address basic needs and express themselves in straightforward social situations in the target culture. Any student with at least a B- average is strongly encouraged to continue their language studies beyond our requirement, since many competitive universities expect four or more years of language study.

Our advanced levels in French and Spanish (level IV and higher) allow students to further develop advanced communication skills and more in-depth cultural studies, including literature, film, and various media. Our Advanced Placement curricula have been approved by the College Board, and in many cases a successful year in an AP language class will afford a student some college credit while still in high school.

Language-Centered Trips:

We at Solebury School believe that practical, real-life language experience is the perfect complement to the classroom. Students can take advantage of our language immersion trips that offer students an invaluable opportunity to take classes in either a Spanish or French speaking country while staying with a host family.

In March 2024, a group of Solebury students spent two weeks in Sevilla, learning Spanish in the morning and participating in activities in the afternoon such as kayaking on the Guadalquivir River, learning how to cook paella, or making their own azulejos tiles. They also spent a weekend traveling to Granada and exploring the Alhambra palace. In June 2025, French language students will travel to Aix-en-Provence for a similarly structured language immersion experience which will offer them an opportunity to immerse themselves in Provençal culture and the chance to experience Paris during a weekend trip.

In addition to planned language immersion trips, we partner with the Haut-Lac Bilingual International School in St. Légier to provide an extended study abroad experience for interested students.

If you have any questions about Solebury School’s World Languages Department, please contact department head Lucienne Knight at lknight@solebury.org. Please consult our World Languages Placement Exams.