by Jamison Rodgers, Assistant News Editor
A new language proficiency award, the Seal of Biliteracy, is coming to Stone Ridge for the first time this year.
According to the Seal of Biliteracy website, “the Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.”
“the Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.”
The website goes on to say that there are other languages students can speak besides Spanish or French. The requirement is to be proficient in English and then an additional approved world language.
Dr. Jeanne Downey-Vanover, Assistant Head of Upper School and the Head of World Languages department, said that award in the past has been distributed by public schools. This is the first year Stone Ridge students will receive Stone Ridge’s version of the award.
Dr. Downey-Vanover said that for a Stone Ridge student to be eligible, the candidate must have a passing score on the verbal section of the SAT and a score of four or higher on the Advanced Placement exam in the second language.
She said that the award is “something to put on your résumé, to show you are committed to growing and developing linguistic proficiency.”
Resume candy is not the only reason to pursue the award.
“We want to affirm heritage speakers,” said Dr. Downey-Vanover. “Or, if you’re a student in a second language, you can be recognized in that way.”
Mr. Malcolm McCluskey, Head of the Upper School, said that the reward for the students is that they are “recognized for the work [they] are already doing,” while the reward for the school is that the seal “recognizes the global identity of the school.”
“Ability to communicate in two different language opens up twice as many doors for my future,” said Catherine Hemming ’19, who studies Spanish.
“Being bilingual allows me to interact with a greater group of people and experience their culture,” said Maggie Barnidge ’20, who started her language experience in a Spanish immersion elementary school.
Being able to experience a different culture and connecting to other human beings in a way not everyone can is the most rewarding thing of all.
“The ability to speak a second language allows you to build bridges between communities,” said Dr. Downey-Vanover.