World Language Induction/Seal of Biliteracy Ceremony

Photo courtesy of Kate Guven

On Monday the 27th, parents, employees, and students of Vestavia Hills High School alike gathered to celebrate the hard work of the students of our school’s language departments. Juniors and seniors were inducted as new members into the language honor societies, and senior language students were recognized for achieving the Seal of Biliteracy. 

Many languages were represented during the ceremony with the largest language honor society being Spanish. Some other languages displayed by the awarded and inducted students included French, American Sign Language, Latin, German, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, and Portuguese. 

These students represented the dedication and diversity of Vestavia Hills High School. While many achieved seals of biliteracy in languages spoken at home, a large number of students worked towards biliteracy in new languages by studying at the high school level or alone. To be awarded with the Seal of Biliteracy, students must score high in the STAMP assessment, a difficult and lengthy process including multiple conventions of each language such as speaking, listening, reading, and writing. 

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of each president of the language honor societies, including bilingual speeches that impressed the guests. Presidents, such as Nealee Griffith, provided the inductions of the new honors society members with flawless accents. 

Honor society inductees were presented with a certificate commemorating their achievement, and Seal of Biliteracy students were awarded two medals that may be worn alongside other cords and awards at Vestavia’s graduation. 

World Language teachers such as Lisa McFadden of the Spanish department also assisted with the ceremony, providing a speech detailing the history of the honor societies and the Seal award. Vestavia Hills High School has been a pioneer in the introduction of the award into Alabama’s high schools, and the achievement will continue to help many students display their skills in their future studies and careers.