World Language Awards Celebration - May 23, 2025

Wilmington, MA - On Friday, May 23,2025 the Wilmington World Language Department proudly hosted its third annual World Language Awards Celebration, a vibrant event dedicated to recognizing the extraordinary accomplishments of our students. From graduating seniors to impressive underclassmen, the room was filled with young scholars ready to embark on global adventures.

Carlos-Luis Brown, the Curriculum Team Leader for World Languages, kicked off the celebration by thanking everyone for attending and highlighting the department's immense pride in these "young, worldly scholars." The event honored two distinct groups: our graduating Class of 2025 seniors earning the prestigious Biliteracy Awards, and students who achieved high marks on the National Italian Exam, Le Grand Concours (National French Exam), and the National Spanish Exam. These national and international exams celebrate students' exceptional ability to understand and use their second language skills.

The celebration was enriched by a special video message from our middle school world language team, congratulating their former students. Attendees also enjoyed a look back at the year's adventures, from field trips to Boston's MFA to Latin Dance and Flamenco lessons, and even the first exchange trip to France and an exploration of the Galapagos Islands.

A highlight of the morning was the keynote address by Dr. Marc Beaudin, a Pediatric Neurology Resident at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Beaudin shared insights into the critical importance of being multilingual in his profession and the profound impact of language learning on the brain.

Honoring Biliteracy: A Mark of Global Citizenship

Wilmington holds a special place in the history of the Seal of Biliteracy, having been one of the first six districts in the state to pilot the program. This award signifies a high level of proficiency in two or more languages, demonstrating a student's readiness to engage with diverse cultures and communities.

Students were recognized across three tiers of Biliteracy Awards:

• LOC Biliteracy Attainment Award: Gillian Kane, Emma McClymer, Evander Ragsdale, Spencer Bagtaz, Dean Ciampa, Nicholas DiGiovanni, Alyssa Mahoney, Brady McLaughlin, William Restuccia, Ashvin Baker, Jillian Collins, Sydney Crane, Emily Estrada, Tyler Florencio, Domenic Guisti, Katherine Hao, Kaylee Heffernan, Benjamin Jamieson, Veronika Loshak, Sebastian Marchena, Justin Memory, Kurtis Powers, Ethan Schoenholtz, Marisol Shapiro, Derek Sun, Sophia Tassinari, Zachary Tran, Brennan Walsh

• LOC Biliteracy Achievement Award: Ellen Corradi, Tiphanny Da Silva, Terry Ding, Gabriella Fitzgibbons, Rebecca Hughes, Cameron Jenks, Jackson McDonald, Shivam Purohit

• Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy: Kyra Turner, Emily Barry, Sabrina Gray, Chloe Harbert-Serafino, Eduarda Jakob, Ricardo Jakob, Gabriel Montenegro Argueta, Jonathan Morales, Ian Pedraza, Alexander Perez, Valerya Pinemont, Isabella Serafim

National Language Exam Prowess

Wilmington High School boasts an impressive record, with students earning 470 national language award recognitions in French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin since 2013! This year, our students continued this tradition of excellence, standing out among over 140,000 students tested nationally and internationally.

Congratulations to our National Language Exam medalists and honorable mentions:

• National French Exam:

  • Honorable Mention: Adania Desnica, Purnima Thapa, Kevin Pruslin, Emily Hall

• National Italian Exam:

  • Honorable Mention: Jenna Giammarco
  • Bronze Medal: Olivia Saragosa, Charlotte Forcina, Parker Canevari, Vivian Ragsdale, Emma Tarin
  • Gold Medal: Timothy Casol

• National Spanish Exam:

  • Honorable Mention: Paulo Pereira, Annika Held, Jake Cronin, Kaitlyn Shackelford, Paola Rodrigues, Adam El Fassi, Celina Vo, Angelina Vo, Daniel D'Augusta, Vincent Anastasia, Elizabeth FitzPatrick, Caroline Donovan, Chloe Stryhalaleck, Declan Mulcahy, Diya Aneesh, Ciara O'Shea, Hannah Oliveira
  • Bronze Medal: Pravya Ramesh, Annette Fitzgibbons, Joshua Langley
  • Silver Medal: Allison Hall, Kyle Tibbetts, Jay Karani

The celebration concluded with a video message from Kristina Klebe, an American actress, director, producer, and writer, who shared her personal journey as a multilingual individual and the impact of language learning on her life.

Mr. Brown concluded the ceremony by reminding students of the powerful words of Robert Frost and encouraging them to continue on the "road less traveled" of multilingualism. He emphasized that these awards are not just certificates and medals, but "small steps in a lifetime of adventure," opening doors to unexpected possibilities.

In a memorable moment, Mr. Brown addressed the "Biliteracy Legends" in the language of the next generation, Gen Alpha, recognizing their "main character energy" and "linguistic rizz." Bet. 

Congratulations to all our world language award winners! Your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring, and we cannot wait to see the incredible paths you will forge as global citizens.

WHS Students - Register to test for the Seal of Biliteracy in YOUR Home Heritage Language

Wilmington Public Schools Awarded $11,814 Grant for World Language Program Enhancement

Join our World Language Advisory Committee!

World Language Advisory Team - Description and Timeline 

Estimated Timeline: March 25 - May 30, 2025

Click here to be a part of the team!

 

Description:

The World Language Advisory Team will serve as a collaborative body of stakeholders dedicated to supporting and enhancing the World Language program in Wilmington Public Schools. This team will play a crucial role in guiding the implementation of the Proficiency-based Outcomes in Languages Other than English grant, providing valuable feedback, and fostering communication between the school community and the World Language Department. The team will consist of representatives from various stakeholder groups, ensuring diverse perspectives and fostering a shared vision for language education.

Team Composition: The advisory team will attempt to include the following members, but will not be limited to:

• World Languages Curriculum Team Leader (facilitator)High School World Language Teachers (2-3 representatives)
• Middle School World Language Teachers (1-2 representatives)
• High School World Language Student Representatives (2-3 students)
• High School Heritage Language Representatives (2-3 students)
• Teachers, Students, Families, or Administrators with Special Education experience and/or needs (1-2 members)
• Parent/Guardian Representatives (2-3 parents, with a focus on seeking representation from families of diverse language backgrounds and abilities)
• School Administrator (e.g., Principal or Assistant Principal)
• Community Member (e.g., someone with expertise in language education or international business, school committee, local business owners)

Responsibilities

The World Language Advisory Team will:

• Review and provide feedback on the implementation of the grant-funded assessment plan.
• Discuss and offer input on the use of assessment data to inform curriculum development and instructional practices.
• Act as a communication liaison between the school community and the World Language Department, sharing information about program updates and initiatives.
• Provide feedback on the World Language program's strengths, areas for growth, and potential future directions.
• Explore opportunities to support and promote language learning within the wider community.

Timeline (March 1 - May 30, 2025):

• March 25 - April 2: Team Recruitment and Invitation: 
• The World Languages Curriculum Team Leader will identify and invite potential members to the advisory team, ensuring representation from all stakeholder groups. Invitations will clearly outline the team's purpose, responsibilities, and time commitment.
• April 5-8: Team Confirmation and Scheduling: 
• Confirm participation from invited members and establish a meeting schedule that accommodates everyone's availability. Aim for 2-3 meetings during this period. Determine meeting format (virtual, in-person, or hybrid).
• April 9 - 30: Initial Meetings & Grant Review: 
• The first meeting will focus on introductions, reviewing the grant proposal and its goals, and discussing the assessment plan.
• The second meeting will discuss the results of the Avant STAMP testing and how the data can be used to improve the program.
• May 1 - May 15: Feedback and Recommendations: 
• Subsequent meetings will focus on gathering feedback on program strengths and areas for improvement, brainstorming ideas for future program development, and discussing communication strategies to share program updates with the wider community.
• May 16 - 30: Summary Report and Next Steps: 
• The World Languages Curriculum Team Leader will compile a summary report of the advisory team's discussions and recommendations. This report will be shared with the team members and relevant school administrators. The final meeting will discuss next steps, including potential future meetings of the advisory team for the following school year and suggestions for grant application for next school year.

Communication: The World Languages Curriculum Team Leader will serve as the primary point of contact for the advisory team. Communication will be conducted through email, meetings, and potentially a shared online platform like the current website/blog set up for World Languages for document sharing and discussion.

Evaluation: The effectiveness of the advisory team will be evaluated through feedback from team members and the impact of their recommendations on the World Language program. The summary report will also serve as a valuable record of the team's contributions.

Considerations: The limited time commitment should be noted here. The team will try to limit participants' time commitment to no more than 4 hours per person. If more time is needed, the facilitator will run smaller sessions and create surveys to ensure all stakeholders are given the opportunity to share their perspectives.

Click here to be a part of the team!

Letter to Students and Families of Level 4 World Language Students - February, 2025

 

Wilmington High School Students Travel To Peru

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington High School students traveled to Peru over February vacation, touring the cities of Lima and Cuzco as well as the world wonder Machu Picchu, an Incan emperor’s residence located in the Andes Mountains.

Spanish teacher Meghan Burns and Chemistry teacher & Science CTL Julie Kim as well as 14 of their students spent nine days touring Peru and experiencing its vibrant culture. In Lima, they swam in the Pacific Ocean, climbed to the top of a restored pre-Columbian pyramid, toured a convent with catacombs beneath it, and visited the Cathedral of Lima, which contains the remains of conquistador Francisco Pizarro. In Cuzco, located at 11,000 feet above sea level, the students fed llamas and alpacas at a wildlife sanctuary and went whitewater rafting on the Urubamba River.

“The Peru trip opened my eyes to new experiences. I was able to use Spanish in and out of the classroom setting, and most of all was exposed to South American culture,” said WHS Senior Adam Yalcin. “Although I had previously been out of the country, I had never been to South America before. We had fun at the handicrafts market, using Spanish to bargain with vendors, and speaking with the workers at the Alpaca farm, feeding the alpacas. The pinnacle of the trip, Machu Picchu, was a blast, with all of us getting to experience the Incan ruins up close. The Peru trip was a life changing experience that I will remember forever.”

World Language Awards Celebration - May 20, 2024

World Languages Department
World Language Awards Celebration

The Wilmington World Languages Department celebrated our second annual World Languages Awards Celebration on May 20, 2024. Students, families, teachers, administrators and school committee were all there to proudly recognize the exceptional efforts and achievements of our world language students. 

Photo credit: Ryan Gendron

The event took place during the morning, with students and families able to attend to join together in the celebration and was open to other students at the high school to attend as well during their interdisciplinary block.

After the introductions, the celebration began with a special message from the Wilmington Middle School World Languages team and a reminder to seniors to explore study abroad programs. After that there was a slideshow of numerous cultural experiences planned by and run by the teachers this year, including field trips to local restaurants, Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Latin Dance and Flamenco lessons, February break trip to Peru and legendary Machu Picchu, and our first ever Spanish Exchange Program where our families welcomed students from Almeria, Spain into their homes and then went to Almeria in April! And in between all those… dozens of opportunities to show students culture first hand via virtual visitors, conversation groups, and much more. The students then heard from our special Keynote Speaker, Mr. Tim Eagan, the Director of World Languages at Wellesley Public Schools, who reminded them all of the extensive benefits of being multilingual and congratulated them all on their impressive achievements.

We were very proud to recognize two groups of students at different points in their journey. Our graduating senior class of 2024 was recognized for earning the prestigious Biliteracy Awards! In our second group we get to recognize some of those same seniors as well as the underclassmen who earned high marks and recognition on the National Italian Exam, Le Grand Concours (National French Exam), and the National Spanish Exam! These exams were administered nationally and internationally and recognize outstanding achievement in students’ abilities to understand and use their second language skills!

Biliteracy Awards

This is the sixth year awarding the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary State Seal of Biliteracy, the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, and the Language Opportunity Coalition Biliteracy Achievement Award! The Seal of Biliteracy is part of a National Movement now across all 50 states that recognizes the exceptional ability of students to be a part of a language and culture beyond English. Wilmington is so proud to have been one of the first 6 districts in the state to pilot the Seal of Biliteracy, and our work was instrumental in passing the LOOK Bill in 2017 which brought the Seal of Biliteracy into existence in the state!
We were very proud to present this senior class with 32 total Biliteracy Awards this year, including 17 Seal of Biliteracy Awards and add them to our impressive history of world languages here! 

The Biliteracy Attainment Awards

The Language Opportunity Coalition, the group responsible for the LOOK Bill of 2017, the law that went into effect and officially created the Seal of Biliteracy in Massachusetts, started a new award this year, the Biliteracy Attainment Award for students who have attained a proficiency level no lower than Intermediate-Low in any language domain. Several of our students had impressive composite scores, but unfortunately scored lower than the Seal threshold in one area of language.

Shaylan Bresnahan - Italian

Adam Davis - Spanish

Abigail Hassell - Spanish

Annabelle Lozzi - Italian

Michael McCarthy - Italian

Adrienne Moore - French

Maya Mulas - Spanish

Bonhong Sreng - Spanish

The Biliteracy Achievement Awards

The LOC Biliteracy Achievement Award is for students who have attained a proficiency level no lower than Intermediate-Mid in any language domain (Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Listening) in another language. 

Avery Allen - Spanish

Thomas Burns - Spanish

Alicia Gardner - Spanish

Clyde Lambert - Spanish

Abigail Nolan - Spanish

Avis Samaha - Spanish

Olivia Solari - Italian

The State Seal of Biliteracy Awards

The Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy is given in recognition of students who have tested and proven an Intermediate-High level of a second language. 

Nathan Cardin - Italian

Maria Cummings - Italian

Sophia DeHart - Spanish

Ava DeOliveira - Spanish

Gracy Giammarco - Italian

Tiago Gomez - Spanish

Caroline Jenks - Italian

Samar Johar - Spanish

Kyla Kelley - Italian

Sophia La Vita - Spanish

Katherine Murphy - Spanish

Sofia Pitzen - Italian

The State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction Awards

The Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction is given in recognition of students who have tested and proven an Advanced-Low level of proficiency of a second language. This is the highest award achievement possible. 

Nathan Murray - Spanish

The following students have earned Trilingual Awards as they have demonstrated proficiency in English, their heritage language, and a third language here at Wilmington High School.

Neda Stoeva

Seal of Biliteracy in Bulgarian and Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish

Mantvydas Banevicius

Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish and with Distinction in Lithuanian

We are immensely proud of all these students and all of the students who continued their world language journey!

National Language Awards

We were very proud to recognize the students who earned recognition on the Le Grand Concours (National French Exam), and the National Spanish Exam. 

These exams were administered nationally and internationally and recognize outstanding achievement in students’ abilities to understand and use their second language skills! From 2013 to 2023, Wilmington High School students have earned 412 national language award recognitions in French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin! This year these students have added 32 more awards!

Achievement awards are given to students who earn above the 50-60th percentile of all exam takers in their respective language and levels. The Bronze Medal is awarded for students who score above the 75th percentile, the Silver Medal above the 85th percentile, and the Gold Medal for students above the 95th percentile.

National Italian Exam

Achievement Awards

Spencer Bagtaz

Charlotte Forcina

Dylan Grace

Bronze Medal

Olivia Saragosa

National Spanish Exam

Achievement Awards

Domenic Guisti

Ellen Corradi

Jleren Mireles

Paola Rodrigues

Kyle Tibbetts

Annika Held

Kaytlin Shackelford

Cameron Pereira

Emma Nolan

Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

Vincent Anastasia

Daniel D'Augusta

Maria Da Rosa

Ajay Gupta

Amelia Stokes

Celina Vo

Molly Guyette

Bronze Medal

Paulo Pereira

Tiphanny DaSilva

Jay Karani

Caroline Donovan

Marisa Ferreira

Hanna Oliveira

Silver Medal

Nathan Murray

Neda Stoeva

Gold Medal

Allison Hall

National French Exam

Honorable Mention

Adania Deshnica

Bronze Medal

Purnima Thapa

Silver Medal

Anna Jancsics

MAFLA Awards

MAFLA Excellence in World Language.  This certificate is conferred upon the student who has demonstrated excellence (highest achievement) in the most advanced course of each language taught in each school.

This year's awards went to:

French - Anna Jancsics

Italian - Dean Ciampa

Spanish - Nathan Murray

The awards ended with a special cameo video from Mr. Nicholas Ferroni. There are not a lot of education “celebrities” but this special message came from an inspirational educator and advocate. He was named one of the "100 Making a Difference" for his commitment to education reform and has developed the “Teach the Truth” campaign to incorporate more minority figures in social studies curriculum as well as including the history of the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights movement. He was recently named the "Upstander of the Year" by the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) for his outspoken advocacy and support for LGBTQ youth.

@nicolasferroni

Thank you to Sia Patel, WHS 9th grader, who took pictures at the event for us. A folder with those pictures can be found at this link: World Language Celebration Photos (WPS Emails Only)

Memo Regarding Studying a World Language for 4 Years, May 2023

 Wilmington Public Schools

World Languages Department, 6-12

Memo Regarding Studying a World Language for 4 Years

Dear Families of Wilmington High School Students,

I am writing to you today to discuss the importance of taking 4 years of a world language in high school, and to dispel some of the myths that may discourage your student from pursuing this valuable opportunity. 

First and foremost, studying a world language is an essential part of a well-rounded education in today's interconnected world. It provides students with the skills and cultural understanding necessary to communicate and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds, both at home and abroad. The vision of the Wilmington Public Schools World Language Program is to support the development of our students’ language skills and cultural knowledge so that they may become respectful, responsible, and collaborative citizens of a global society. Our world language graduates have gone on to rewarding careers in technology, healthcare, education (some right here in WPS!), and international business! AND they have come back to WHS to share those accomplishments with us! 

Contrary to popular belief, taking 4 years of a world language does not mean that a student must be fluent in that language by graduation. Rather, the goal of a 4-year language program is to give students a strong foundation at an appropriate, reasonable level of proficiency and as well as an appreciation for its culture and history. This can help prepare students for a variety of future opportunities from study abroad programs to local jobs that require multilingual skills and cultural awareness.

Another myth that may discourage students from taking a world language for 4 years is the belief that it will be too difficult or time-consuming. While learning a new language can certainly be challenging, our high school language courses are designed to be accessible to students of all ability levels. Additionally, many students find that studying a language is a rewarding and engaging experience that opens up new avenues of self-expression and creativity not available to them in any other courses.

In conclusion, we strongly encourage all students at Wilmington High School to take 4 years of a world language during their time here. Doing so can provide them with a valuable skill set that will benefit them for years to come, both in their personal and professional lives. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me or any other member of the faculty. You can find out more about our programs and awards at our website as well: Wilmington World Languages Department

Thank you for taking this world language journey with us! We hope you will take advantage of this amazing opportunity! #FourThenMore 

    @WorldLangWilmMA @WilmingtonWL