LPS students gain global skills at UNL World Language Fair

April 20, 2026

Dana, Eman and Mohammed provided powerful illustrations this spring of how Lincoln Public Schools classes are boosting their global prospects.
 
The Northeast High School trio joined a large LPS delegation at the 2026 University of Nebraska-Lincoln World Language Fair. The three Rockets were among 20 students who represented the school in Arabic language activities. Music, poetry, drama, film, folk dancing and poster art contests also took place in German, Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish languages.
 
Eman felt the fair gave her a world-sized educational value. She was part of a nine-person group that won first place in the Arabic film contest for a production called “Under the Table.” The junior also created a poster that combined embroidery and painting. Her artwork featured 11 flowers next to a city scene contained within the outline of the country of Syria.
 
“Last year I came to see what was happening, and it gave me a lot of really good ideas,” Eman said. “This year, I’m here competing and I’m really enjoying it.”

 
Many other students in Arabic, Chinese and Japanese classes shared those wide smiles at the fair. The three programs are among the smaller LPS world language offerings in terms of enrollment, but they have consistently produced shining results at statewide events. More than a dozen students in each language showcased their talents in contests held at the Nebraska City Campus Union and other UNL locations.
 
Mohammed and Dana each won individual honors for their academic work. Mohammed earned first place in the Arabic poster contest for his painting called “The Beauty of Adventures.” The sophomore drew a sailor standing on a wooden ship with birds flying nearby in the sunset. He said it was fulfilling to come up with the idea and work through a learning curve.
 
“I messed up a few times, so it was fun for me to restart and see what I did wrong in the first two tries,” Mohammed said. “The third one worked out because I learned from my mistakes. I learned what colors I should have and how I needed to redraw it. It was fun to go through that trial-and-error process and come out with a better artwork.”

 
Dana defended her state title in the Arabic poetry competition. The junior said she enjoyed the event because it helped her become more familiar with different words, phrases and expressions. She was also able to meet fellow students who are considering similar postsecondary options in world languages.
 
“It’s a good experience to grow my Arabic language and see the college for the future,” Dana said.
 
Southwest High School teammates Espree and Alivia also gained language treasures in their Japanese music contest. They performed a Japanese song in front of judges and multiple rows of students from across Nebraska. They wore traditional dresses as they sang several verses of the tune in the Chimney Rock Room.

 
Espree said the activity made a major impression on her. She felt learning and performing the song would help her retain more of the Japanese language.
 
“I really liked doing this,” Espree said. “The music was good to learn, and I think it made for deeper memories of the whole day.”
 
Alivia said she had pocketed a wealth of life skills from preparing for the day with her friend. The ninth grader beamed as applause spilled across the room after she and Espree finished their song.
 
“Doing this has really helped with my public speaking skills,” Alivia said. “Before this, I was a little more scared about getting in front of a group, but now I’m a lot more comfortable with it.”
 
North Star High School teacher Chun-Yi Coral Su brought 14 Chinese language students with her to campus. The majority of the Navigators participated in Level 1 poetry and poster events, and one group took part in the Chinese film category. North Star also had one entrant in the Chinese music contest.
 
The Chinese posters featured a wide range of cultural scenes. Uyen created a drawing of a dragon soaring above a mountainous rural town, and Chau produced a picture of a woman standing next to a cherry blossom tree in the sunlight. Genesis sketched several colorful flowers beneath Chinese text that talked about fresh petals covered with morning dew.

LPS students also participated in mini-lessons about holidays and celebrations from countries in Europe and Asia. Northeast students Rana, Mohammed, Lina and Hamzeh joined Arabic teacher Nael Hijjo in one of the presentations in Burnett Hall. They spoke about their cultural experiences with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan.
 
Mohammed said he enjoyed discovering facts about many global customs and traditions during the day. He said participating in the fair would help him boost his educational prospects for years to come.
 
“I feel like it will help me moving forward because doing a project like this helps you learn, and getting experiences like this helps you grow as a person,” Mohammed said. “You’re able to see and know more things.”
 
Discover how world language classes are helping LPS students become informed global citizens.
 
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