Sixty-five William Floyd High School students recently earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB), which recognizes high school seniors who have attained a high level of proficiency in two or more world languages by high school graduation. In front of a gathering of family and friends in the Jeananne Dawson Memorial Library, students celebrated this accomplishment.
“This year, we wanted to recognize and applaud our NYSSB recipients in a special way,” said Kim Massa, chairperson of World Languages/ENL and Seal of Biliteracy coordinator for William Floyd High School. “Earning this seal is an amazing accomplishment, providing our students with a valuable tool that will be used throughout their lives. I am so very proud of this group.”
To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must earn points in both English and world languages, through a variety of courses, exams, projects, interviews and more. Recipients accomplished this by taking AP exams, NYS English as a Second Language Achievement Tests (NYESLAT), Home Language Arts coursework, the STAMPS (Global Seal of Biliteracy) exam, Checkpoint C courses, and, most importantly, interviewed with a panel of advisors in two or three languages. “This is a prodigious accomplishment that took a lot of extra work and effort,” added Ms. Massa.
William Floyd began offering the Seal of Biliteracy in 2020 with a small recipient group of approximately 15 students. Ms. Massa and the World Languages/ENL department has worked tirelessly to expand the program and reach more students with this important skill that will help them as they begin to transition into the next chapter of their lives.
The Seal of Biliteracy provides colleges and universities with a method to recognize and credit applicants for attainment of high-level skills in multiple languages. It also prepares students with 21st-century skills and opens more opportunities as those who are able to speak multiple languages are invaluable to employers.
Graduates earning this honor will earn a certificate, a nationally-recognized notation on their official transcript, a seal on their diploma and a medallion to be proudly worn at graduation.
Spanish:
Kaitlin Baker, Riley Bent, Javier Castillo, Analia Cobb-Rountree, Carmen Cux Hernandez, Railin de la Cruz Santos, Keila Delille, Jeremy Dominguez, Mary Duenzl, Brianna Edouard, Allison Filosa, Kayla Gilmore, Karen Guiracocha Narvaez, Matteo Higueros, Caitlin Hopkins, Karen Jackson, Payton Kurosz, Lanasia Mayo, Kayden Meyer, Brady Miller, Helen Medina Saquicela, Teia Mongardi, Ethan Morano, Darik Morocho, Mia Myers, Juan Naranjo Balaguera, Seth Ortiz, Faith Petersen, Melanie Podlesny, Valery Ramirez Melendez, Gabriel Rebelo, Jennifer Reina Sinchi, Anthony Reyes, Jayla Rivera, Kei Roberts, Aidan Russo, Olivia Saar, Kate Samlihan, Isabella Simeone, Geneva Smith, Lindsay Smith, Jacqueline Sutherland, Freddy Valdez, Angelo Velez, Kaila Weissbach, Caylen Williams, Jayson Yourison and Maria Zavala Garcia.
Italian:
Julia Abbaticchio, Andreana Adamita, Arianna Boscia, Ashley Escobar, Deanna Farrauto, Adrianna Filippelli, Aidan Grover, Joseph Janssen, Alexandra LaValle, Dora Lentini and Fabiola Ramos Rodriguez.
Spanish and Italian:
Cristy Alvarado Vazquez, Dilan Castillo Jimenez, Jayson Molina, Liliana Munguia, Carla Zavala and Natalie Zavala.