31 West Hempstead Students Earn Seal Of Biliteracy

WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY — The West Hempstead School District had reason to celebrate this month, as 31 students received the New York State Seal of Biliteracy during a recognition ceremony.

The seal is given out by the state to students who reach proficiency in English and at least one other language, and comes with a special distinction on recipients’ diplomas. Furthermore, district officials said the 31 students will wear special graduation regalia that recognizes their linguistic achievement.

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Among the languages spoken by this year’s recipients were French, Haitian Creole, Hungarian, Italian and Spanish, six students earning the seal of biliteracy for more than one additional language. Multiple students, the district said, became proficient in both Haitian Creole and French, while others chose to practice Spanish and Italian or Italian and Hungarian.

For the school district, officials said the awarding of these multilingual certificates highlight, “the district’s growing linguistic diversity and commitment to celebrating multilingual achievement…The district congratulates all 31 students who earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy and commends them for their dedication, perseverance and commitment to becoming multilingual global citizens.”