Twelve students from Whittier Tech have been recognized by the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with the Biliteracy Award. The award recognizes students who have achieved proficiency in English and another language by the time they graduate from high school.
The Language Proficiency Performance Assessment test administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages was used to determine which students received this distinction. In a similar vein, these students met Carnegie unit credit requirements in English language arts.
Ten students achieved biliteracy in Spanish, while Batista Nunes and Ivina Machado achieved biliteracy in Portuguese, making them the first Whittier students to do so.
English Language Coordinator Susannah DiMauro served as an advisor to the Seal of Biliteracy and helped prepare students for this comprehensive test, which was administered in January. She said that “This is the largest group of award winners we have had since our program began in 2018.”
Whittier Tech Superintendent Maureen Lynch congratulated all twelve recipients and praised their dedication and hard work. “Any Whittier student can apply for the State Seal of Biliteracy to demonstrate their language ability in other languages,” she added.
The Seal of Biliteracy promotes excellence in world language study, respect for human differences by exposing students to other cultures and perspectives, equity by honoring diverse literacy abilities of community members, and provides evidence of biliteracy skills to future employers and college admissions officers.
According to a press release, eight heritage languages are represented among Whittier Tech students: Igbo, Swahili, Twi, Portuguese, Spanish, Pashto, Haitian Creole, and various Central American dialects of Spanish.
The following twelve outstanding students were recognized:
– Jocelyn Arriola – Amesbury senior studying hospitality
– Karlenny Garcia – Haverhill senior studying carpentry
– Maria Garcia – Haverhill senior studying carpentry
– Odelys Morel – Haverhill senior studying carpentry
– Ismarlyn Perez – Haverhill senior studying medical assisting
– Adail Saenz – Haverhill senior studying computer-aided design
– Kate Velázquez (with distinction) – Haverhill senior studying computer-aided design
– Jeremy Alvarez (with distinction) – Haverhill junior studying electricity
– Joelmy Lantigua – Haverhill junior studying computer-aided design
– Tatiana Mendoza-Aguilar – Amesbury junior studying design and visual communication
– Laura Batista Nunes – Amesbury junior studying early care and education
– Ivina Machado – Amesbury junior studying marketing
Receiving the Biliteracy Award is a tremendous accomplishment for these twelve students, and it highlights Whittier Tech’s commitment to promoting excellence in language education. Congratulations to all of them on this remarkable achievement!
According to informed sources.
