Their mastery of multiple languages will culminate in the Seal of Biliteracy for 72 seniors in Massapequa High School’s graduating class of 2025. It is largest number of students to receive the prestigious distinction.
This year’s group brings the total number of Seal of Biliteracy recipients in the district to 275 since it was introduced in the 2019-2020 school year. Students receive the designation by showing mastery of both English and at least one world language. Curriculum Associate for World Languages and ENL William Anderson commended students on the accomplishment because it is extra work beyond their classes, as they complete a cultural comparison project in their target world language.
“I am so proud that the Massapequa School District provides our students the opportunity to earn the New York State Seal of Biliteracy,” he said. “It affirms the value of linguistic and cultural diversity in our schools and communities. Earning the seal enhances students’ college applications and career prospects in an increasingly globalized workforce. It also promotes equity by validating the multilingual skills of heritage speakers and English language learners. Ultimately, the Seal of Biliteracy empowers students to become confident, culturally competent global citizens.”
This year’s Seal of Biliteracy recipients reflect eight world languages. American Sign Language, French, German, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are part of the district’s world languages program, while Italian, Polish and Russian are languages students learned on their own. Among the 72 recipients are four students who earned the seal in two world languages.
One of those is Tyler Benedict, who earned it in French and Russian. He took French in school since sixth grade, then began to learn Russian in eighth grade after being intrigued by hearing a friend’s mother speak it. First, he used an online program before getting a tutor. Tyler’s cultural comparison projects compared society etiquette in France and Russia to the United States.
Isabella Corigliano’s world language was Spanish and her project compared dance in the U.S. and Spain. In college, she wants to study abroad in Spain and also believes her Spanish language skills will be useful in a career in business.
“It’s something that I wanted to earn as part of a wrap up of my world language experience in high school,” she said of pursuing the Seal of Biliteracy. “Spanish can be so helpful in the future. It feels really rewarding and it’s really exciting to have achieved such a high honor.”
Tatum Benito worked hard to master Spanish so she could better communicate with family in Spain. Her father is also a high school Spanish teacher which gave her additional exposure to the language and culture.