The month of November marks not only the debut of Convent of the Sacred Heart’s fall production of It’s A Wonderful Life, but also the launch of its newest publication: an Arabic newspaper, Ahlan wa Sahlan. 
The purposes of the publication, which is written by the Arabic classes, are for students to practice the language and different styles of writing, and to “ahlan wa sahlan,”or welcome, Middle Eastern culture to the Sacred Heart community.
The first edition will cover news from both the school and Arab communities.

“I am thrilled to share things with the community like poetry, translations, and Arabic Writing.  I want to let the school know that Arabic exists,” Mrs. Souad Malih, Upper School Arabic and French Teacher, and adviser to the newspaper, said.
It will also include interactive topics such as a “Did You Know…” column and an editorial section featuring student opinions.
“We will have a section of arts like calligraphy, poetry, and pictures. Maybe we will have an Arabian recipe for fun,” Mrs. Malih said.
Despite their heavy work loads, Arabic students are ready to embrace the challenge of creating the newspaper. They hope the paper will follow in the footsteps of Sacred Heart’s other foreign language publications, such as Tête-à-Tête and Voices.
Sophomore Anna-Luisa Brackman, a student of both Chinese and Arabic, is eager to begin work on the newspaper. She is excited to publish in another language, and to educate others about the Arabic language and culture.
“I love learning languages because you learn a lot about the culture through the language,” Anna- Luisa said. “I think the newspaper will be really cool to work on because we will get to be published in another language.”
Mrs. Renée Rodriguez, Upper School World Languages Chair and Spanish Teacher, also believes that writing in a foreign language, outside of class assignments, is beneficial for students.
“I think when you write in a second language, you get the time to think about the structure. This helps you develop the language and use richer vocabulary,” Mrs. Rodriguez said. 
Mrs. Rodriguez is supportive of this new opportunity for the Arabic students.
“We have Voices for all of the languages, as well as Tête-à-Tête for French, so this will give the Arabic students a real chance to express themselves as well,” Mrs. Rodriguez said.  
– Elizabeth Bachmann, Staff Writer