Wilmington World Language Awards - May 22, 2026

Nearly Half of Wilmington High School’s Graduating Class Honored at 4th Annual World Language Awards Celebration

WILMINGTON, MA – Wilmington Public Schools proudly celebrated its 4th Annual World Language Awards Celebration on Friday, May 22, 2026. The morning event recognized the outstanding achievements of Wilmington High School students who have demonstrated high-level linguistic proficiency across multiple global languages.

This year’s ceremony marked a historic milestone for the district: an astonishing 44.4% of the high school graduating Class of 2026 (76 individual students) received some form biliteracy recognition. This marks a significant lifetime increase in the program's reach, reflecting Wilmington's deep commitment to cultivating global citizenship and language immersion. 

The graduating seniors honored at the event overcame unprecedented obstacles, having begun their middle school careers during a global pandemic that drastically altered the start of their language journey, and yet despite those disruptions, persevered to earn some of the highest language honors available in the Commonwealth.

In addition to the Biliteracy Awards presented to graduating seniors, the celebration recognized underclassmen who achieved top honors on the National Spanish Exam, National Italian Exam, and Le Grand Concours (National French Exam).

This high school group of students was awarded an impressive 127 student awards in total!

BILITERACY AWARDS

Several extraordinary "multilingual superstars" achieved honors in more than one language:

• Adania Deshnica achieved the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in Albanian and a Biliteracy Attainment Award in French.

• Samantha Glaser achieved the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in Japanese and a Biliteracy Attainment Award in Spanish.

• Annika Held achieved the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in German and the State Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.

• Jaslene Ryou achieved the State Seal of Biliteracy in Korean and a Biliteracy Attainment Award in Spanish.

• Annajulia Ferreira earned the State Seal of Biliteracy in Portuguese and a Biliteracy Achievement Award in Spanish.

• Joshua Salgado secured the State Seal of Biliteracy in both Portuguese and Spanish.

• Purnima Thapa received Biliteracy Attainment Awards in both French and Nepali.

A full breakdown of this year’s Biliteracy Award recipients includes:

State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction (Student Proficiency no lower than Advanced Low - Avant STAMP Score: 7)

• Albanian: Adania Deshnica

• German: Annika Held

• Japanese: Samantha Glaser

State Seal of Biliteracy (Student Proficiency no lower than Intermediate High - Avant STAMP Score: 6)

• Italian: Giovanni Aliperta, Maxwell Lesperance, Vincent Vindice

• Korean: Jaslene Ryou

• Portuguese: Annajulia Ferreira, Joshua Salgado

• Spanish: Gabriel Borges, Ella Dong, Allison Hall, Annika Held, Erin Murray, Pravya Ramesh, Joshua Salgado, Kaitlyn Shackelford, Jacoby Tibbetts, Kyle Tibbetts

Language Opportunity Coalition (LOC) – Biliteracy Achievement Award (Student Proficiency no lower than Intermediate Mid - Avant STAMP Score: 5)

• French: Kevin Pruslin

• Italian: Vijay Cudia, Dylan Grace, Olivia Saragosa

• Portuguese: Marcela Martins

• Spanish: Jake Cronin, Dennis Desouza, Annajulia Ferreira, Joseph Glaser, Christina Ho, Cathryn MacDonald, Lily McLaughlin, Jon Mehr, Alivia Quintero

Language Opportunity Coalition (LOC) – Biliteracy Attainment Award (Student Proficiency no lower than Intermediate Low - Avant STAMP Score: 4)

• French: Adania Deshnica, William Poyant, Clare Soucy, Purnima Thapa, Sadie Winchell

• Nepali: Purnima Thapa

• Italian: Samantha Bolanos, Kyle Bridge, Alexander D'Angelo, Cara DiGiovanni, Charlotte Forcina

• Spanish: John Bottari, Ian Brazell, Lindsay Broussard, Isabella Cooper, Gavin Dong, Colin Dwyer, Adam Elfassi, Alexandra Erler, Marina Feeney, Owen Fitzpatrick, Shane Gargan, Samantha Glaser, Bailey Huddleston, Grace Johnson, Mason Kwiatkowski, Gus Lambert, Leah Langone, Maya Lanzi, Hope Maina, Srilasya Mallajosyula, Jacob McCauley, Kyle Mendonca, Sean O'Brien, Madelyn Oatis, Giselle Olatilu, Krish Patel, Sophia Plouffe, Sara Reppucci, Paola Rodrigues, Jaslene Ryou, Christopher Smith, Nolan Surprenant, Sofia Tentindo, Khoa Tran, Adam Veliz, Genesis Webb, Maeve White, Abbiagael Wiklund, Vicki Wong

Overall, these students averaged an Avant STAMP Score of 5.4, the equivalent to a proficiency level of Intermediate Mid. The amount of students that were tested was also made possible thanks to last year's $11,814 Proficiency-based Outcomes in Languages Other than English grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

NATIONAL LANGUAGE EXAM WINNERS

National French Exam (Le Grand Concours)

• Bronze Medal Winner: Emily Hall

• Honorable Mention Recipients: Emma Mahnken, Rui Yang 

National Italian Exam

• Silver Medal Winner: Summer Aliperta

• Bronze Medal Winners: Vivian Ragsdale, Timothy Casol

• Merit Award Winners: Emma Tarin, Aubrey Salvador, Parker Canevari, Mason Hazel-Fookes, Ella Connolly, Avery Jenson, Julia Marra

National Spanish Exam

• Silver Medal Winners: Hannah Oliveira, Kimberly Morona, Jonas Pire

• Bronze Medal Winners: Annika Held, Joshua Langley, Danisha Rosario, Ameliah Brown, George Papageorgiou, Benjamin Kobacic, Gabriella LaRosee, Alex Murphy

• Honorable Mention Recipients: Allison Hall, Annette Fitzgibbons, Vincent Anastasia, Elizabeth FitzPatrick, Marisa Ferreira, Molly Kilburn, Emily Quamme, Chloe Stryhalaleck, Kaia Donn, Diya Aneesh, Ciara O'Shea, Callie Lamarche, Eliana Goldstein, Olivia Smith, Pauline Douzepis, Neilah Calixte, Lucas Madden, James De Los Reyes, Grace Call, Bailee Miranda

A Celebration A Decade in the Making

Ten years ago, the seeds of global citizenship were planted in Wilmington. Our district became one of the first to pilot the Seal of Biliteracy and to celebrate that milestone our original Seal recipients from the Class of 2016 were invited back to share some special messages for our Class of 2026. 

Timothy Scalona, an eviction defense attorney and Class of 2016 graduate, shared how his Spanish and Italian skills provide the "keys to unlocking a whole another universe." Working in Chelsea - a community grappling with a housing crisis and the "chilling effect" of federal immigration policy - Tim uses language to dismantle fear. Tim can counsel his clients without the use of interpreters. This bypasses the clinical distance of a third party, creating an intimate, trusting relationship that is vital when a family’s home is on the line. By meeting clients where they are, he becomes a "beacon of light" in their most stressful moments.

Isabela Cigna, now a marketing professional at Boston Children’s Hospital, shared how her Spanish skills allow her to connect with families during their most difficult moments: “Being in a hospital is probably one of the times where you're most uncomfortable and scared... being able to make that connection with people, whether it's letting them speak in Spanish... is something that I'm really proud of.” By being able to communicate with families in crucial moments like this, we connect in ways that go beyond just learning in the classroom.

Lawrence Gordon, a PhD student in molecular and biomedical sciences and WHS Class of 2016 alumnus, thoroughly dismantled the persistent myth that language learning is only for "humanities people."  Whether collaborating on dairy farms in Mexico, working with zoos in Germany, or navigating ship docks in Canada, Lawrence explained that his Spanish training is what makes the science possible. Language is the vehicle for complex ideas. In high-level research, the ability to navigate different cultural perspectives is just as critical as the technical ability to sequence a genome.

"Language is about communicating ideas, not necessarily communicating words. This is true in science... I've found that the lessons I've learned from languages and cultures have opened up so many possibilities for me." — Lawrence Gordon

A central theme of the celebration was the rejection of the "Translation Trap." In an age of AI and digital translators, Carlos-Luis Brown reminded us that biliteracy offers a depth of human connection that technology can never replicate. Since Wilmington became one of the first six districts in the state to pilot this program, students have earned 254 Biliteracy Awards, each representing a choice to value the soul over the software.

Translation is a shortcut that often misses the cultural nuance of a story. To truly understand a person, you must hear their story in the language it was lived.

"My philosophy around education has always been that humans all have a wonderful and unique story to tell that deserves to be heard. Those stories should also be understood in the language and culture they were lived. Translation will never fully express a life lived in another language." - Carlos-Luis Brown

Takeaway: Biliteracy is a "Don" - A Gift for the Community

In the world of Disney’s Encanto, a "Don" is a magical gift intended to support the village and the familia. Adassa - the voice of Dolores Madrigal - shared a powerful perspective via special video message at the end of the awards, framing biliteracy as a modern-day superpower. These language skills are not mere ornaments for a resume, they are tools for service. By mastering a second (or third!) language, these students have built the foundation for global citizenship. They aren't just memorizing vocabulary, they are becoming the bridges that connect our "casita" to the rest of the world. 

The amazing thing about the Madrigals wasn't just having a power; it was using that power to serve and help their community, their familia, and their casita. It's your gift to help, connect, and build bridges across cultures and communities.

Beyond the Seal

The Seal of Biliteracy is not a finish line. It is a passport for a lifetime of adventure. As our seniors prepare to depart, the World Language Department is already preparing the next set of "passports." With the first-ever exchange to Italy scheduled for SY 26-27 and a journey to Costa Rica and Panama in April 2028, the opportunities for global immersion are only growing.

As we celebrate the Class of 2026, we leave you with one final, vital thought: How will your own story change if you choose to explore the world in a language other than your own?