The primary objective of the Language Department is to provide an opportunity for students to become actively involved in learning a language. This is accomplished not only in the ordinary language classroom activities but also by the use of other suitable means such as language newspapers, magazines, word games for vocabulary building, and through an emphasis on the cultural aspects of the heritage of the peoples whose languages are being studied. The Language Department offers a four-year sequence in French, German, and Spanish. Placement into language classes is dependent upon the results of the incoming Placement Test (as a freshman) and upon the individual's preference for a particular language as long as there are available seats. All students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the same language for at least two years. Furthermore, those students who plan to continue their education in a college or university should seriously consider enrolling in a single language for four years since many institutions of higher learning now accept this four-year study at the high school level as satisfying their own language graduation requirements. In general, the more competitive the college or university, the more advantageous is language study.