TORRINGTON, Conn. — A total of 29 seniors at Torrington High School were honored on Tuesday during the school’s annual Seal of Biliteracy Celebration, according to a release from THS.
The students earned the Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy for being proficient in English and one other world language such as Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin, the release said. Nineteen juniors also passed the language proficiency test this year in Spanish, Polish, Portuguese and Bosnian. Those students will be awarded the seal next spring when all graduation requirements for English have been met.
“The seal is embossed on student diplomas and indicated on their transcripts,” the release said. “Earning the Seal of Biliteracy is a declaration of a student's commitment to bilingualism. For some, it is the result of years of study, and for others, it is the result of the family's commitment to keep their heritage language alive and well, coupled with a student's personal determination.”
According to the release, the Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy encourages all students to pursue proficiency in at least one language other than their native language. It rewards students for their level of proficiency or mastery of a language, highlights second language ability as a key 21st Century skill in college, career and life and shows potential employers that a student has the ability to effectively communicate with people from two or more languages and cultures, both orally and in writing.
The Seal of Biliteracy is a joint effort of the World Language Department, the English Learner Department and the Guidance Department. In the release, THS Director of English Learner Services Joanne Creedon spoke about the importance of celebrating the milestone.
“The celebration is a great way to celebrate all of our multilingual learners and to send the message to students and families that Torrington Public Schools truly values and celebrates multilingualism in our community,” Creedon said.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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