At the recent Revere High School Bilingual Awards Ceremony, RHS senior Erta Ismahili said, “Bilingualism is a gift, not only to speak with more people, but also to connect with cultures.

“In my life, speaking multiple languages has offered me an opportunity to cherish my heritage and understand others,” she said. “At school, and especially in Revere, the hallways fill with languages of all types. Oftentimes, since language comes naturally to some, they fail to think of it as a gift; rather, they think it’s a function of life. In reality, I think of language as a bridge, spanning as far as possible so long as you build it.”

Erta said that by immersing herself in a different culture and absorbing the language through multiple means, she was able to understand that language learning is an enveloping endeavor and not simply measured.

“By realizing how involved learning a language was, I was able to open my eyes to the experiences of others across the world, especially like my parents when they first came to America,” she said. “Language proficiency is often expected, and those who struggle are often undermined. Despite this norm, America still has no official language for a reason. I hope that more people can understand the importance of building bridges across languages to connect cultures, practice empathy, and see the beauty of diversity in practice.”

Erta was just one of over 100 Revere High School seniors recently recognized for their strong multilingual skills at the third annual Bilingual Awards Ceremony on May 8. The award ceremony honored recipients of four awards, including the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy.

The Seal of Biliteracy is given by the RPS Multilingual Learner and World Language Department on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in recognition of graduating seniors who have studied and attained a high level of proficiency in two or more languages. Nine different partner languages were represented among this year’s award recipients: Albanian, Amharic, Bosnian, Darija, and Modern Standard Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Awards were broken into four categories, with some students receiving awards in more than one language. Of the 108 honorees, 14 students received the highest honor: the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction for advanced proficiency. 72 students received the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy, 11 received the Language Opportunity Coalition Bilingual Achievement Award, and 17 received the Revere Public Schools Bilingual Attainment Award.

Students earning the Seal of Biliteracy received medals to wear at graduation and official certificates of achievement. The Seal of Biliteracy is also noted on student transcripts, and many colleges and universities offer credits for students who receive the honor.

In addition to demonstrating their language skills on assessments, students were also asked to write an essay in both languages in which they discussed the impact of bilingualism on their lives. Student work was published in “Our Voices: A Multilingual Anthology.”

“We recognize our graduating seniors who have demonstrated their bilingualism, and in some cases multilingualism, with one of four awards,” said Jennifer LaBollita, RPS Director of  Multilingual Learner and World Language Programs. “As well as meeting state and local assessment requirements to receive their award, students were asked to write a reflection in both English and their additional language about what being bilingual means to them and the impact it has had on their lives.’

At the ceremony, several students read excerpts from their bilingual essays in their partner languages and shared original poetry. Other speakers included Mayor Patrick Keefe, Jr., and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lourenco Garcia.

“The Seal of Biliteracy, a mark of academic excellence that reflects the hard work, persistence, and
commitment to learning across all cultures,” said Mayor Keefe. “Learning about other languages, people, and cultures opens up opportunities to connect with others and reminds us of our deep commitment to understanding, respect, and love for all.”