By: Lia Bradley, ELL Instructor at Dickinson High School
Dickinson High School (DHS) is happy to announce that for the first time in DHS history, we are able to award a select few of our students with the North Dakota Seal of Biliteracy (NDSB). This seal goes on the students’ diplomas and transcripts as a recognition of demonstrating proficiency in a language in addition to English and will identify them to future employers and post-secondary institutions.
To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, each student must take several tests and score high enough to demonstrate a minimum proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in both English and a second language. Based on the testing scores, there are two levels of the NDSB, Gold and Silver. Lucas Shilman shared, “I’ve always been interested in different languages and learning Spanish is beneficial for me especially now in the US. I didn’t originally plan on taking the test for the Seal of Biliteracy, but after discussing it in my junior year Spanish 3 class, I knew I could do it. In the future, being bilingual could be very helpful for getting a job, communicating with others, and even travel.”
The students that earned the Gold Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are: Eden Nunez, Auden Olivas-Garcia, Lucas Shilman, and Kimberly Valadez. Mouchefa Batcha earned the Gold Seal in French. The students that earned the Silver Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are: Brayden Jangula and Brandon Shutes. Ella Meka Reusora earned the Silver Seal in Filipino. Mouchefa Batcha shared what the opportunities of learning a second language brings, “Seal of biliteracy was an opportunity introduced to me my junior year of high school by Mrs. Bradley, my ELL teacher. Having a second language is important and it will look good on my diploma. Also, I think it is a very good advantage going into the real world. I think companies will want someone who will be able to communicate with at least some of their non-english speaking clients or customers.”
Mrs. Bradley (ELL Instructor), along with other staff, organized a special lunch to celebrate these students as well as our International students. Students and staff participated in making and sharing food dishes from different countries including Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Thailand, Philippines, Belize, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Norway, as well as others. During the lunch, there was fellowship with staff and students, as well as a speech from foreign language student Valentina Martinez Foronda about the importance of being bilingual. We hope that both the Seal of Biliteracy and the International Celebration will become a tradition at DHS.
