Some people might think they learn enough in school as it is, but it comes to international travel, transfer students, and connecting with bilingual peers, students may realize that learning a second language is a necessity.  Here at Concord we offer Spanish classes taught by Professor Mateo Saucedo.   However, there are additional online language classes offered as well. 

Learning a foreign language has it’s perks for daily life; however, this knowledge is also beneficial when applying for college.   “There’s a lot of colleges that look at language credits,” says Spanish student Peyton Easterwood. “Plus, it is America’s second most spoken language, so it’s pretty important to speak multiple languages.”   

In total, up to 59 million people speak Spanish in the U.S. when including second-language speakers. By 2050, it is projected that one in three people in the U.S. will speak Spanish. According to Harvard University, approximately 600 million people worldwide speak Spanish, with 500 million being native Spanish speakers as of late 2024 early 2025. In the last 30 years, the speaking of the Spanish language has had a significant 70% increase, while the English and Chinese languages seem to decrease within recent years compared to Spanish.

Most people don’t come to Concord already speaking two languages; however, sophomore student Christina Calva has this advantage.

“I’ve spoken Spanish since I was about five or six years old,” stated Calva. “[Spanish] will definitely have benefits in the future, especially when it comes to travel. Traveling around Latin America, Spanish is spoken very fluently, though there are different variations of it.”

Though Spanish may be the most common language to take classes on, some students have also taken subjects like French, Latin, and even sign language.

“I took Latin online,” says senior Tyler Rundle. “It was very helpful and the teacher was really good. It’s also the base of most languages, like Spanish.”

Especially when taking language classes, it’s important to pay attention and really take advantage of these classes to the best of your ability.

“I took French last year,” says senior Brayden Grindall. “They taught me the basics, so I can definitely understand some.”

According to The French Language, there are 300 million French speakers worldwide, with 81 million being native speakers, making French the fifth most spoken language in the world.

Sign Language is also a very helpful language to learn, especially when it comes to communicating with people with hearing impairments.

“Last year, I took Sign Language 1A and 1B,” says sophomore Sign Language student Allie Morris. “and then this year I’m taking Sign Language 2A and 2B.”

So though you or others may believe you learn enough in school to benefit you going into your adult years, it may be even more beneficial to take a language class, especially when it comes to travel, exchange students, and connecting with others in your life.