33 students from classes of 2023 and 2024 qualify; 8 students qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction

Top row: Eduardo Mazariegos, Gabriela Cabre-Jockovich, Bryan Recinos, Ana Luna  Maldonado CloughertyBottom row: Shital Oli, Edgar Flores Ramos, Gricela Mendez, Gabriela Mendoza

The Somerville Public Schools district is proud to announce that 22 seniors and 11 juniors from Somerville High School will earn the prestigious Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Seal of Biliteracy. Students qualify for the Seal through testing, then earn the Seal upon graduation. The Seal of Biliteracy is a statement of accomplishment for future employers and for college admissions and will appear on their transcripts and diplomas. Students also receive a physical medal, which they wear over their robes at graduation. 

The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award that recognizes high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English plus one, or more, world languages. Additionally, nine public institutions in Massachusetts currently give credit to applicants for prior learning to students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy. Juniors may indicate that they qualified for the Seal to increase the competitiveness of their college applications.

“These students are so proud of earning the Seal and I am so proud and impressed with their hard work,” said Lisa Machnik, K-12 World Languages Department Supervisor. “When we piloted the program in 2017, we had two students graduate with the Seal. This year, we will have 22!” 

Students qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy by earning a score of 472 or higher on the Grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test or retest and earning Intermediate High on their partner language proficiency test or a 4 on the Language Advanced Placement Exam. Some students go on to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. Students qualifying for Distinction must score 501 or higher on their MCAS ELA and Advanced Low or higher on their Language Proficiency Test, or a 5 on the Language Advanced Placement exam.

Students have also qualified for the Seal in a larger number of languages this year, including Albanian and Romanian.

Twenty-two seniors in the class of 2023 qualify for the Seal: 19 qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy and three qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. Eleven juniors in the class of 2024 qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy: six qualifying for Seal of Biliteracy and five qualifying with Distinction. 

Class of 2023 students who will earn the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction at graduation are:  

Grabriela Cabre-Jockovich (Spanish), Vinicius Melo (Portuguese), Karolayne Rodrigues (Portuguese). Class of 2023 students who will earn the Seal of Biliteracy at graduation are: Oscar Diaz Gutierrez (Spanish), Evelyn Flores (Spanish), Edgar Flores Ramos (Spanish), Kimberly Gomez (Spanish), Mariana Guevara (Spanish), Andrea Juarez (Spanish), Ana Luna Maldonado Clougherty (Spanish), Tayssa Martins (Portuguese), Eduardo Mazariegos (Spanish), Gricelda Mendez (Spanish), Emely Mendoza (Spanish), Gabriela Mendoza (Spanish), Alison Morales (Spanish), Shital Oli (Nepali), Isadora Oliveira (Portuguese), Sebastian Palomino (Spanish), Yasmine Ramos (Spanish), Bryan Recinos (Spanish), Gabriela Rodriguez (Spanish), Judith Sola Andrade (Spanish).

Class of 2024 students who will earn the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction at graduation (next year) are: Juan Buruca (Spanish), Lidia Ramos-Martinez (Spanish), Lucca Valdes (Spanish), Ana Barrett (Romanian), Katerina Dinka (Albanian). Class of 2024 students who will earn the Seal of Biliteracy at graduation (next year) are: Lola Andrew-Blondin (French), Layla Barrientos (Spanish), Jocelyn Miranda Landaverde (Spanish), Wilbert Pineda (Spanish), Natalya Rauda Pena (Spanish), Yarenis Valdivieso Argueta (Spanish), Aliya Vasquez (Spanish).

Somerville High School is a comprehensive high school with over 1,300 students in a newly renovated and state-of-the art facility. More than 50 languages are spoken among the diverse student body. SHS students may study World Languages Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian at Somerville High School. Spanish language instruction begins in 7th grade. Somerville Public Schools also offers a bilingual Spanish / English prekindergarten program and the UNIDOS bilingual Spanish / English immersion program for students in K-8.