Students flooded the hallways that were freshly decorated with colorful flags, signs, and t-shirts scattered on the walls. They slowly made their way towards their classes awaiting the two-minute bell music that would signal the approach of yet another school day. Their morning conversations were suddenly interrupted by the voice of a man singing in Spanish. After slight confusion, the students made the realization that it was that time of year again.

Monday March 7 marked the beginning of National Foreign Language Week, an event that celebrates the study of foreign languages at high schools around the country. According to Spanish teacher Julie Swartzloff, HHS teachers have been preparing since December by designing t-shirts, crafting activities, and most importantly picking a theme.

“We decided to go with our own theme this year which is ‘Break the Norm’,” said Swartzloff. “The national theme was similar to what we did a few years ago, so we wanted to try something different.”

The language department also incorporated new activities such as “Guess the Theme Thursday.” Students were encouraged to guess the theme of this year’s festivities based on music played during passing periods last Friday. The winner won a $10 gift card from Morkes Chocolate.

The rest of the week will also be filled with classic contests presented in previous years. Students will be able to participate in “Find the Flag,” “Where’s Waldo?” and the “Create a Poster” contest, which will feature students’ artistic abilities and creativity, as well as offer them extra credit.

“I’m really excited to see how the rest of the week will go,” said Swartzloff. “I hope the students enjoy it as much as [the teachers] do.”