Valley View Secondary School in Adelaide has a very engaging Italian program, aimed at captivating students.
The teacher who runs it, Silvia De Cesare, is renowned and respected within the Italian community, having been president of the Dante Alighieri Society of South Australia.
Thanks to her enthusiasm for teaching Italian, and her love of the culture of the Bel Paese, Cesare’s students are enthralled by her lessons.
Last term, Valley View Secondary School organised a special evening in celebration of the 'Italian Outdoors' program, which emphasises the importance of continuing to adopt an authentic and deeply meaningful teaching method.
In addition to Cesare’s pupils, an enthusiastic Cathy Papandrea, events manager of the Marche Club, presented at the event, hosting a cooking workshop for student attendees.
Sebastian Galipo and Stefano Bona, professor of Italian at Flinders University, also spoke at the event.
The students showed great passion, and the presenters all encouraged them to continue studying Italian with the fierce commitment they have shown so far.
In her introductory speech Silvia De Cesare thanked those present for attending, and especially, for welcoming students into the Italian community and giving them the opportunity to experience Italy in Australia.
The teacher said she was grateful to Consul Adriano Stendardo, who was also present at the event, for supporting the school:
"Last year we started the 'Italian Outdoors' program to take students out of the classroom and involve them in the Italian community. The students were able to develop an intercultural understanding, interacting with the authentic Italian language and culture in Adelaide. Each term we took students out of the classroom to our local Italian clubs and businesses,” she said.
De Cesare then turned her attention to the contribution of all the associations that made the program possible:
"For our students, it is not just about eating pasta and pizza or listening to Italian music, as much as it is about integrating within our welcoming community ― savouring its warmth, sense of family and mutual support."
In fact, although the students at Valley View Secondary School do not all come from families of Italian origin, they have been able to feel closer to Italy thanks to the program’s immersive experiences.
De Cesare went on to thank headmistress Yvette Swaalf and her colleague Stefania Chiro, as well as coordinator Jackie Marano, who wanted to share her personal experience.
Marano was born in Australia to an Italian family, and emphasised how this 'double identity' of hers has allowed her to become a more complete person, and to firmly believe that building cultural bridges with Italy represents a unique opportunity for students to become citizens of the world.
Following the interaction with the Italian community in Adelaide and the real-life experiences at the local level, she announced that among the program’s next goals will be the creation of new opportunities to connect with other students in Italy and gain first-hand experience of the culture.
"Today more than ever, students want to explore, to see, to learn. And our mission is to support them, which is why we also hope to make scholarships available in the future,” commented Marano.
Consul Stendardo described the 'Italian Outdoors' program as one of the best educational projects in South Australia, providing students with new skills that will be useful for their futures.
“Languages are an exceptional tool, especially in a world that is increasingly connected and global, where intercultural communication and social skills are now central.”
At the end of the evening, David Bonanni and Michela Capriccioni performed Italian songs. Finally, good food and mingling rounded off the Italian-style celebration.
During the evening, a video made by the Department of Education about the Italian program at Valley View Secondary School was also screened; it can be viewed on YouTube by typing in ‘The value of language learning’.
