Modern and Classical Languages Department

The Academy offers four years of Spanish, and Latin is now being offered as well.

Spanish is taught at the college preparatory and Honors/International Baccalaureate levels throughout the four years. Spanish for Heritage Speakers is a two-year course offered for those who are bilingual in Spanish and English.

Should an incoming freshman speak Spanish at home or have studied it in school, she must arrange for a proficiency examination so that she can be placed at the proper level. All modern language faculty have lived and/or studied in countries where the language they teach is spoken.

A number of Academy graduates are currently teaching Spanish in both in the United States and Europe. Graduates consistently report that they are very well-prepared for college language classes and that they have speaking skills far above the level of their classmates.

  Modern and Classical Languages Dept. Faculty: Ms. Melissa Arkin, Ms. Angela Fackler, and Ms. Beth Van.

Ms. Melissa Arkin
Ms. Melissa Arkin graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1988 with a B.A. in Spanish. She spent the next six years teaching English as a Foreign Language (E.F.L.) in Seville, Spain. She returned to Chicago to earn her M.A. in Linguistics (Concentration in Teaching English as a Second Language) from Northeastern Illinois University in 1998 and her Teaching Certificate for grades 6-12 with certifications in both Spanish and ESL.
     A member of the staff at St. Scholastica Academy since 2003, Ms. Arkin teaches the upper level and IB-level Spanish courses. She also works with students who are English Language Learners. 
     She has participated in several ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Conferences where she assisted a colleague with a presentation in 2009. By attending the annual TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference for the last eight years and participating in two I.B. Spanish workshops, she is able to stay on the cutting edge of the current education philosophies and methods in language instruction.
     Ms. Arkin is the adviser for the National Honor Society and for the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica (Spanish Honor Society). She is also Senior Class Moderator.

Ms. Angela Fackler
Ms. Angela Fackler graduated in 2008 from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, with a BA in French. In 2009, while acting as a substitute teacher at SSA, she revealed her interest and expertise in Latin. When the classical language was added to the Language Department offerings, Ms. Fackler was invited to develop a Latin curriculum.
     In addition to teaching Latin 1 and Latin 2, she also teaches a  Theory of Knowledge course. 
Ms. Fackler and the Latin classes have introduced Scholasticans to an annual “Roman Banquet.” Held every May, the feast features food prepared and served by Latin students in the setting of a traditional Roman banquet, with faculty as honored guest-patricians and students as server-slaves.
     Ms. Fackler is also the moderator for the Pro-Life Club.

Ms. Elizabeth "Beth" Van
Ms. Beth Van graduated from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2007. While a student at Saint Mary's College, she studied abroad in Seville, Spain. After graduation, she moved to Chicago and completed a two-year Americorps volunteer position with Cristo Rey Jesuit High school. In 2009, she joined the faculty at St. Scholastica Academy where she teaches the beginner level Spanish classes.
     Ms. Van is a sophomore homeroom teacher as well as Sophomore Class Moderator. She is also moderator for the Stitch Club and a Campus Ministry team member.