Each year, the Northern Nevada International Center designs and conducts several language and culture education and outreach programs.

Examples of such courses are the after-school program Spanish classes for elementary school students, which the NNIC regularly provides in cooperation with the Washoe County School District, or introductory courses for members of our community interested in learning about other languages and cultures, or other, special tailor-made language and/or culture courses for Business Executives.

After School Language and Culture Classes

Taught by native speakers and University of Nevada, Reno Spanish majors, the After School Language and Culture classes provide an excellent opportunity for first through sixth-graders to gain exposure to the fundamentals of Spanish language and the beauty of Hispanic culture. Instructors will use traditional teaching techniques that focus on repetition, vocabulary exercises, and basic conversational skills combined with fun exercises that include the music and games played in Latin America and Spanish-speaking places in general. The advantages of learning another language as young as possible are immense!

The Northern Nevada International Center and Community Education are excited to announce that French and Spanish After School Language and Culture Classes will once again be held at several Reno/Sparks elementary schools. These 45-minute classes are held twice a week and are open to first through sixth-graders. Most classes begin mid-September and last for durations of eight or twelve weeks. Please check the Community Education website the first or second week of September for course details and registration options.

• Twelve-week beginner French classes will be available at Hunsberger and will begin the week of September 22nd. Students from Montessori elementary schools are welcome to attend.
• Twelve-week beginner Spanish classes will be offered at Beck, Brown, Caughlin Ranch, Elmcrest, Hidden Valley, Hunsberger, Hunter Lake, Moss, Peavine, and Pleasant Valley. These biweekly classes will begin the week of September 22nd and will conclude the week of December 12th. Two courses, beginner and intermediate-level Spanish are available at Brown Elementary.
• Eight-week, biweekly Spanish classes will be held at Beasley, Smith, and Double Diamond. These beginner-level classes will begin the week of September 10th and conclude either the last week of October or the first week of November.
• Additionally, two eight-week Spanish classes will be held at Sepulveda Elementary starting July 17th. It is possible to register for both beginner classes through the Community Education website.

The Cultural Box Exchange Program

The Northern Nevada International Center is honored to inform you of the availability of an exciting new program that we are providing to the Washoe County School District: the Cultural Box Exchange Program.

The program consists of a library of boxes containing artifacts from different countries from around the world. Instructors will have the ability to come to our office and check out a box for up to two weeks. Each box contains a variety of items that will give students a better idea of the culture, art, government, and geography of that specific country or region. Examples include: flags, books written in the country’s language, traditional crafts, photo books, tourist souvenirs and postcards, and a brief fact sheet regarding the geographical location and general statistics of the country.

Our library currently consists of nine boxes from a variety of countries and regions:

• Amazon River Valley
• China
• Eastern Africa
• Kazakhstan
• Mexico
• The Middle East
• North Africa
• Thailand, and
• Turkmenistan

In order to check out a cultural box, a $50.00 deposit check (per box) is requested and will be returned when the instructor brings back the cultural box with no items damaged or missing.

Instructors can stop by the office (green house with a white picket fence) between 9am-5pm Monday through Friday to sign out a cultural box. Please call ahead to make sure the box you wish to check out is available. The Cultural Box Exchange Program is a great way for teachers to enhance their lesson plans and we hope that you will take advantage of this new resource.

Also, if you have artifacts from any countries on the above list or any country from around the world that you would like to donate to our program, we would be more than happy to accept your contribution. We are a nonprofit organization and would love to expand this program with your kind donations.

For more information or to request this service please contact us or send your request to Soraya Morz, our Language Courses Coordinator.

To see other programs and courses that are offered currently or will be in the nearby future, please see our Calendar of Event listings.

Please, do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss possibilities to organize a special course that fits your needs! For groups of 9 participants or more, we’d be happy to work with you and find the best way to suit your topic of interest, and fit a course to your situation.

If you’re interested in such a tailor-made solution, please get in touch with us!

TO CONTACT US:

Soraya Morz, Language Courses Coordinator - smorz [Email address: smorz #AT# nnic.org - replace #AT# with @ ]

During regular business hours, via phone number (775) 784-7515 Ext. 707