Eighty-one students who excelled in six foreign languages were honored on May 16 at the annual Vineland High School Seal of Biliteracy Awards Ceremony, held in the VHS South auditorium.
The Seal of Biliteracy distinguishes public high school graduates who have attained a level of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing in one or more world languages, in addition to English. Vineland was one of the seven pilot districts for the program, which was signed into law in 2016.
The ceremony began with a welcome from Sarah Edwards, VHS World Language Department Chair. Dr. JoAnne Negrin, Supervisor of Bilingual/ESL, World Languages, Title III, and Music, then took the stage for welcoming remarks. Negrin thanked the parents of the awardees for encouraging their children to learn a new language or embrace their heritage language. She also thanked the students, noting that as high schoolers they have many different things vying for their attention, but being multilingual will pay off.
“You have so many different things competing for your time and interest, and you made the choice to take your language learning to a high level,” Negrin said. “There are probably as many motivations for doing so as there are students here tonight. Maybe it was a way to communicate with relatives and connect with your heritage. Maybe you were motivated by the career opportunities that being multilingual unlocks or the way that it makes you able to feel at home in new places. Whatever your motivation, your success is celebrated here tonight, and I salute you for your perseverance.”
Negrin also noted that many universities now offer credits for the Seal of Biliteracy. It also gives recipients an advantage when applying for jobs, as it certifies that the candidate can do the job in more than one language.
Graduating seniors who achieve the Seal received a special cord to wear at graduation and a certificate from the State of New Jersey.
In addition, a final group of students was recognized for being part of the Rowan University Dual Enrollment Bilingual Teacher Education program. These six students completed two challenging tests: the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Written Proficiency Test (WPT). Passing these two exams is an essential step in becoming a bilingual teacher in NJ.
Rounding out the ceremony was Jim Firn, ESL and German teacher at VHS. Firn related a story from earlier this year when he realized that he had two students in his class who came from opposite sides of a major conflict. He worried that the students would have a difficult time sharing a class together, only to witness the two become fast friends once they realized they shared the same language.
“No conflict halfway across the globe could overcome the relief that you get when you’re overwhelmed by a foreign language and finally hear someone you can communicate with,” Firn said. “You may not have considered peace and diplomacy as a reason for learning a new language, but in a world ravaged by war, every word of a new language we learn is another step towards spreading peace.”
The full list of Seal of Biliteracy Awardees are:
American Sign Language Recipients: Dezani Calderon, Rah'Shanti Casper, Rachel Davis
Italian Recipients: Pamela Pena
Russian Recipients: Maryna Yazvinska, Diana Komnarenko, Maxim Ostrikov, Nikita Ostrikov, Ievgeniia Serediuk, Bohdan Taranenko
Spanish Recipients: Maria Liz Alberto, Kayry Antonio, Alexa Arias, Nataly Arreola, Ruben Artillero-Palma, Daisy Bautista, Mireya Bautista Cruz, Ruthy Brea Reyes, Rosa Castellanos Cruz, Jan Encarnacion, Yuneisi Estrada, Emily Felipe, Jelitza Figueroa Bonano, Jonny Figueroa Escobar, Alondra Fuentes Cruz, Jisel Garcia, Katelynn Garcia, Johan Guerrero Ortega, Alex Hernandez Bautista, Jennifer Hernandez Roblero, Jacqueline Hernandez Ruiz, Adolfo Jimenez Crisanto, Ashley Leboff, Frank Lopez, Jennifer Lopez, Stephanie Lopez, Diana Lopez Hernandez, Mabeth Lopez Ruiz, Jennifer Lopez Valle, Katherine Marino, Jennifer Martinez Alavez, Damaris Mayoral, Brandy Medina-Zavala, Abigail Mendoza, Sheila Mendoza Chavez, Alessandra Merida-Vazquez, Santiago Mondragon, Odaily Montes Matias, Miguelshanie, Morales Vasquez, Sheila Murillo Aguilar, Nadia Nicolas, Amanda Ortega, Yiana Ortiz, Jacselyn Osorio, Asusena Pala Moran, Pamela Pena, Tiffany Pena Mateo, Elena Perez, Ryan Pollock, Ashley Reyes Mendez, Elisabel Rivera, Isaed Rivera, Raul Rivera, Alondra Rivera Telles, Yenuelle Rodriguez Aponte, Sonialyn Rosario, Estefani Rosas Vera, Glorianis Sanchez, Shadi Sanchez, Adrian Serrano Becerra, Daniel Tomas Rivas, Iriani Torres, Emily Varela, Kelsey Vasquez, Cinthia Velasquez, Jose Villanueva Martinez, Nivia Zamora, David Zarate Flores
Ukrainian Recipients: Ievgeniia Serediuk, Bohdan Taranenko
Vietnamese Recipient: Khang Nguyen
VPS Broadcasting was at the ceremony and it can be viewed in its entirety on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhpqhX1uwgo