Honoring the Women Leading Wilmington Toward Multilingualism - March 2026

This National Women’s History Month, we want to celebrating the visionary women within our own World Languages Department who are shaping the future of our global community. From our classrooms to state-level boards, these educators are ensuring our students have the tools to navigate a multilingual world.

A Legacy of Excellence in Biliteracy

The impact of our female-led department is perhaps most visible in the wonderful success of our Seal of Biliteracy program.  Our department continues to hit record-breaking milestones, proving that our students are graduating with the high-level linguistic skills needed for the 21st century thanks to the collective effort of this grade 6-12 team.

Award-Winning Programming

Since 2016, Wilmington students have earned an impressive 173 biliteracy awards and certificates, over 470 national language exam awards, and dozens of student contest awards and scholarships. This is a direct

2026 Achievement

This year alone, 13 students have earned the Seal of Biliteracy with more results still pending. This reflects both the success of our world language programming and our mission to honor the heritage languages of all our students, featured this year with one student achieved the prestigious Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in Albanian. Our 2026 awardees represent excellence in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Albanian, and Nepali, reflecting the diverse global community we serve. We will be celebrating these in May this year!

A Legacy of Impact

Over just this last decade, these teachers have been responsible for not just their impact in the classroom, but in so many more areas of students' lives. Here are just a few:

• Drama Club
• No Room for Hate
• World Cultures Clubs
• MULTIPLE Field Trips - Boston MFA, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Italian North End, Flamenco & Tapas, Immersive Frida, Local Restaurants, Festival of Italian Creativity, Museum of Work and Culture (French), Afro-Caribbean Music and so many more!
• Travel Abroad - Quebec, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Greece, Machu Picchu, Galapagos, and more!
• HS Student Exchanges - Spain, France, and coming up soon Italy!
• International Pen-Pal programs
• Environmental Club
• GSA
• Asian Heritage Club
• Chess Club
• Garden Club
• Bible Study Club
• World Language Advisory Team
• International Film Nights
• Wilmington Culture Festival
• School Advisory Committee
• DESE World Language Frameworks 2021 and Implementation 2022
• Fulbright Scholar
• Global Fellowship Program
• Schedule Committee(s)
• Instructional Leadership Team
• So many more!!

Spotlight on Professional Leadership: Terresa Pietro

We are proud to share a recent accolade for Terresa Pietro, an invaluable member of our department and a leader for the Massachusetts World Language Teachers Association (MAFLA). In a recent letter of praise, the MAFLA President, Mr. Mike Travers, commended Terresa’s "dedication, commitment and curiosity" as a member of their Board of Directors.

As Chair of the Member Engagement Committee, Terresa has been instrumental in strengthening the community of language educators across the Commonwealth. Her ability to use data to inform decision-making and her work on student art and essay contests demonstrate a tireless commitment to the profession. As the letter notes, she is a "remarkable educator" who makes our profession stronger every day.

Mr. Ryan Gendron, Wilmington High School Principal, added, "Terresa has similarly excelled here at WHS, where she contributes thoughtfully and meaningfully to school and department planning. Additionally, Terresa launched our new student exchange program which has created life changing educational travel opportunities for students - with exchanges in Spain and France (and Italy coming soon). That program would legitimately not be possible without Terresa's leadership, time and effort."

Reflection

As we reflect on Women's History Month, we thank our incredible team of educators for their passion, their leadership, and their role in "Empowering Global Voices" for every student in Wilmington.

Do you have any stories to share about the impact some of these amazing educators have/had in your life? We'd love to hear! Email Mr. Brown or comment below!