Richard Emch, OFLA President 2014-2015
French Teacher, North Royalton High School

In an ever-changing field of education, the Ohio Foreign Language Association concentrates on our strategic plan to, “build the capacity of foreign language teachers to prepare learners to demonstrate their (second language) proficiency”.  The 2015 OFLA Conference Committee has taken this endeavor to heart and invited education professionals who are members, of and are recognized by the American Council on the Teaching Foreign Languages, the Central States Conference on the Teaching Foreign Languages, the Ohio Department of Education, as well as our own resident experts from Ohio, to provide the best professional development at nominal cost to our members at our annual conference April 16-18, 2015.

I am pleased to announce that Registration is now open for the 2015 Ohio Foreign Language Association’s Annual Conference at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions.  (http://ofla.memberlodge.org)  Be sure to renew your membership or join OFLA for the member rate.  Register before March 25 to get the Early Bird rate.

I would like to thank all of you who submitted session and workshop proposals.  The titles and descriptions submitted to the conference committee were all of high quality and of great interest.  The fact that we are able to offer 20 workshops and over 100 sessions shows that the field of foreign language teachers in Ohio consists of dedicated, professional teachers who are willing to share with their colleagues.  I am looking forward to this robust and enriching professional development opportunity.

For those of you who are new to the OFLA Conference, I would like to point out that the sessions on Friday and Saturday are included with your conference registration.  If you would like to attend the workshops on Thursday and Saturday, you must indicate these on your conference registration, as there are workshop fees.

Due to the positive feedback we received on the awards banquet last year, we are keeping the same format this year.  This is a great opportunity to recognize your colleagues, rekindle old friendships, and make new acquaintances while you enjoy dinner Friday evening.

A new feature this year will be an optional Soup & Salad Bar for Dinner on Thursday.  Don’t be fooled by the title salad bar.  This option has a large selection of fruits, vegetables, lunch meats, bread, and soup to keep you satisfied through your workshop.  It is also a great, simple, hassle-free option for those attending the workshops.  If you attend a workshop, you will surely want to join us for networking opportunities with your colleagues from around the state.

Richard Emch
President, the Ohio Foreign language Association