On October 10, 2023, Slippery Rock University held a World Language competition with added English Language workshops. Students at Corry High School who are involved in Spanish 6, as well as students who are interested in creative writing, were invited to the event. According to sru.edu, “Nearly 170 students from 22 high schools in western Pennsylvania Participated in the World Language Competition.”

The event was hosted by Slippery Rock University’s Modern Language and Cultures Department. The World Language Competition challenged students to a 68 question language test, where the top three scores in Spanish, French, and Japanese were awarded with trophies. Four Corry Seniors participated in the World Language Competition: Markus Lambert, Lauren Thomas, Kieran Graves, and Emma Smith. 

Slippery Rock University simultaneously held English Language Workshops for students who are interested in creative writing. The workshop that Corry students, as well as other students from other schools, attended was called The Zombie Workshop.

The Zombie Workshop gave students the opportunity to use their creativity in order to give older pieces of literature a “new life.” Students were given the task of creating a poem out of words used in a random piece of writing. Then, they were asked to write a poem that correlates to the message of their improved writing piece. Winners for this workshop received first, second, and third place trophies. In fact, this reporter received third place in the Zombie Workshop.

This field trip to Slippery Rock not only gave English and alternate language students a chance to practice their skill set, but also gave students the opportunity to explore a real college campus. At the event, students were able to explore the campus and its activities. As a matter of fact, students were given a “passport” that they would take to different rooms to get stamped and enjoy activities such as creating pins out of magazine and book illustrations and learning how to write their names in Japanese. As well as the other activities, they were also able to eat at the SRU dining hall, buy from the gift shop and go to the campus’ Starbucks.

Overall, participating Corry students had a wonderful time attending the event. Thank you to Srta. Sisson and Mrs. Thier for chaperoning the trip and making it possible for the students to experience Slippery Rock University’s World Language Competition and Writing Workshops. Also, thank you Slippery Rock for having our students.