COMMACK SCHOOLS

Fifth graders at Burr and Sawmill later this week will select the world language they want to study in middle school and beyond.

And in advance of that decision, eighth grade students are visiting both intermediate schools on Monday to champion the French and Italian options. Both are available in addition to the always popular Spanish.

The fifth graders learned how to say basic phrases such as "buongiorno" (good morning) in Italian and "mon nom est" (my name is) in French. The intermediate school students also heard about the perks once they get to high school, such as field trips to learn about Italian culture in New York City.

They even got to meet the actual teachers who would instruct them in French and Italian as sixth graders next school year.