Welcome to LOTE (Languages Other Than English) at St. Rita!

¡Hola! Bonjour ! My name is Agnès Denvir and this is my second year at St. Rita, teaching Spanish in 5th and 6th grades as well as LOTE electives for all Middle School, and coaching Quiz bowl. I love all languages and cultures, and my biggest passion is to share that love! I speak a dozen languages at various proficiency levels. I am always learning new languages! My native language is French and the latest language I have been learning for the past couple of years is Ukrainian. I am very actively involved in the Ukrainian community in Dallas and in Ukraine, especially in these difficult times.

 

I was born and raised in the south of France, studied in Paris and graduated as a translator from the I.S.I.T. (Institut Supérieur d'Interprétation et de Traduction) and the Catholic Institute of Paris. I worked as a translator and interpreter, and as a teacher in the United Kingdom then in the USA, where I have been living since 1996. Before coming to St. Rita, I taught middle school Spanish and other languages at St. Mark Catholic School in Plano. I also love academic competitions and have been coaching Quiz Bowl for about 8 years and competing in Nationals. I love music (especially in many different languages), karaoke with Señora Schweitzer, history, and baking as if I am on the Great British Baking Show with Paul Hollywood (he does have the best Croissants recipe!), and much much more!

 

Why do I speak so many languages and always want to learn more? Because I love people from the whole world and:

1 Corinthians 14 10-11:  “It happens that there are many different languages in the world, and none is meaningless; but if I do not know the meaning of a language, I shall be a foreigner to one who speaks it, and one who speaks it a foreigner to me. So with yourselves: since you strive eagerly for spirits, seek to have an abundance of them for building up the church.”

 

My favorite quotes are from these two saints: