THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996 TAG: 9606140053
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
CRAIG RORRER speaks. He parla and parle. And the brand new Salem High School grad habla, spricht and govorit.
In other words, he can converse with you in English, Italian, French, Spanish, German and Russian.
Craig, 18, has the gift of gab and a good portion of it is self-taught. He skipped his second year of French and his second and fourth years of Spanish, and taught himself the equivalent of a first year's course in Russian and first and second years of German. He's also learning Italian on his own.
``It seems so natural, I can't really describe it,'' Craig said.
That wasn't always the case. In the fifth-grade, Craig took a two-week Spanish course after school.
``I remember one word I learned in class,'' he said. Blanco, which means white. By the time he started his first year of Spanish as an eighth-grader at Salem Middle School, his abilities became apparent.
``It just came really easily to me. I liked it so much, I started studying on my own,'' he said.
He started formally studying French in the 10th grade and Russian in the 11th, after being exposed to it at the Governor's Spanish Academy. He began taking German classes this year.
According to his teachers, Craig's accomplishments say a lot about the soft-spoken student's extraordinary drive, as well as his ability.
``He's really self-motivated and a self-starter. He's mature beyond his years, very responsible,'' said Carol Watson, a former Spanish teacher. ``He continues to demand things beyond what he's mastered.''
German teacher James Shearl called Craig ``a dream student, really. Just a dream.''
It may help that Craig has had plenty of opportunities to practice his talent. His parents, Steve and Jo Anne, have hosted nine exchange students in the last four years. When Craig and a friend spend a month in Europe this summer, they will spend part of the time with two of the family's former guests.
Craig is an only child and neither of his parents excelled in languages.
``Obviously it's a gift,'' said Jo Anne Rorrer, ``No one else in our family has learned languages.''
Craig also likes to write computer programs. ``That's like a language, too,'' he said.
In high school, he was a member of the French, Spanish and National honor societies, and was chosen a national award winner in foreign languages by the United States Achievement Academy, an organization which recognizes excellence in various academic disciplines and extracurricular activities.
In the fall, he heads off to James Madison University, where he plans to major in, what else, modern foreign languages with a minor in international business.
He hopes to be a translator for the United Nations, but even if his career path veers elsewhere, Craig said he's learned a lot more than just words.
``It's given me a better appreciation of other cultures,'' he said. ``It's helped me analyze my own language better.'' ILLUSTRATION: CHARLIE MEADS
The Virginian-Pilot
Craig plans to major in foreign languages in college. by CNB