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A dozen students at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School were recently recognized by the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with the Biliteracy Award.
Superintendent Maureen Lynch said the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy recognizes students who have achieved proficiency in both English and a partner language by high school graduation.
The students are Jocelyn Arriola, a senior from Amesbury studying Hospitality; Karlenny Garcia, a senior from Haverhill studying Carpentry; Maria Garcia, a senior from Haverhill studying Carpentry; Odelys Morel, a senior from Haverhill studying Carpentry; Ismarlyn Perez, a senior from Haverhill studying Medical Assisting; Adail Saenz, a senior from Haverhill studying Computer-Aided Design; Kate Velazquez (with Distinction), a senior from Haverhill studying Computer-Aided Design; Jeremy Alvarez (with Distinction), a junior from Haverhill studying Electrical; Joelmy Lantigua, a junior from Haverhill studying Computer-Aided Design; Tatiana Mendoza-Aguilar, a junior from Amesbury studying Design and Visual Communication from Amesbury; Laura Batista Nunes, a junior from Amesbury studying Early Education and Car; and Ivina Machado, a junior from Amesbury studying Marketing.
Students were awarded this distinction based on their performance on the Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages test administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Students also fulfilled the Carnegie unit credit requirements in English Language Arts.
Ten students achieved biliteracy in Spanish, while Batista Nunes and Machado achieved biliteracy in Portuguese, the first Whittier students to do so.
English Language Coordinator Susannah DiMauro, who serves as the Seal of Biliteracy Advisor, helped prepare students for this comprehensive test, which was administered at the end of January.
“This is the largest group of award winners we have had since our program began in 2018,” said DiMauro. “Any Whittier student can apply for the State Seal of Biliteracy to demonstrate their linguistic ability in other languages. We applaud and encourage the depth of heritage cultures and language knowledge in our community.”
The Seal of Biliteracy promotes excellence in the study of world language, respect for human differences by exposing students to other cultures and perspectives, and equity by honoring the diverse literacy skills of those in the community. It also provides evidence of biliteracy skills to future employers and college admissions officers.
Eight heritage languages are represented across students at Whittier Tech: Igbo, Swahili, Twi, Portuguese, Spanish, Pashto, Haitian Creole and various Central American dialects of Spanish.