Our School

 by Daniella Alvarez ‘27, Maria Bueno ‘27, and Riya Thomas ‘27

On September 30th, Holy Cross High School recognized students who attained their Seals of Biliteracy. Five students were acknowledged during our town hall meeting for their achievement. This included: Kelly Bonilla ’25 (recognized in Spanish), Ariana Flores-Montes ’25 (recognized in Spanish), Virginia Akide Ndunge ’26 (recognized in Italian), Antonella Livolsi ’26 (recognized in Italian). Recent graduate Fabrizio Cassetta ‘24 was recognized for his biliteracy in both Italian and English. Moreover, Tiago Oliviera ’26 was recognized for his biliteracy in Portuguese.

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by the state, a school or school district to a student or a group of students that have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. The purpose of the seal is to recognize the excellence, hard work and dedication of students who put in the time to learn another language. 

The Seal of Biliteracy motivates students to pursue biliteracy. It acknowledges abilities that students accomplish, which can especially look prominent to future employers. The seal also recognizes the linguistic resources that a student may have obtained in their home or from their community, and promotes bilingual pride. 

Holy Cross High School encourages other bilingual students to take this exam. When they graduate, they will receive a symbol on their diploma that represents their state-recognized bilingualism. The languages they master and the acknowledgment they will acquire will also greatly benefit them in the future years to come. Holy Cross seeks to motivate students of all backgrounds who are bilingual to reap the awards of their diligence and prowess in the field of language.