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:
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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
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LOC Biliteracy Achievement Award: Ellen Corradi, Tiphanny Da Silva, Terry Ding, Gabriella Fitzgibbons, Rebecca Hughes, Cameron Jenks, Jackson McDonald, Shivam Purohit
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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:
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National French Exam:
- Honorable Mention: Adania Desnica, Purnima Thapa, Kevin Pruslin, Emily Hall
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National Italian Exam:
- Honorable Mention: Jenna Giammarco
- Bronze Medal: Olivia Saragosa, Charlotte Forcina, Parker Canevari, Vivian Ragsdale, Emma Tarin
- Gold Medal: Timothy Casol
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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.
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