News Release

December 4, 2023

Nebraska Students Awarded Seals of Biliteracy

The Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska International Language Association have awarded 108 Seals of Biliteracy to Nebraska students in November 2023.

The Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy is to honor high school students who have achieved a high level of proficiency in English and at least one other language.

Students apply for the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy after demonstrating proficiency based on the Nebraska World Language Standards structured around communication, cultures, connections, communities, and cognition within a language other than English.

2023 November Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Recipients

 

Amanda Tran Class

Omaha Burke High School

Spanish

Arturo Garcia-Francisco

Ralston High School

Spanish

Atticus Fina

Lincoln High School

Spanish

 

Brooklynne Costello

Omaha Central High School

Spanish

 

Bryan Espinosa Alvarez

Omaha South High School

Spanish

Carmen Wilhelm

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Cesar Adrian Gomez

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

David Garcia

Omaha Burke High School

Spanish

 

Emily Liliana Martinez-Barrera

Omaha Bryan High School

Spanish

 

Grace Peng

Millard North High School

Spanish

 

Iliana Almazan

Gibbon High School

Spanish

 

Jacob Reason

Millard North High School

Spanish

Jasen Cruz-Espinosa

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Jocelyn Martinez

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Jordy Alvarez

Crete High School

Spanish

 

Jose Lopez Ramirez

Gibbon High School

Spanish

 

Jose Plascencia Lopez

Omaha South High

Spanish

 

Josue Saqui

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Lucia Marvin-Debuse

Omaha Burke High School

Spanish

 

Makenna Murphy

Lincoln Southwest High School

Spanish

 

Martin Kuhn

Mount Michael Benedictine High School

Spanish

 

Melany Sharlet Bravo Maza

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Miroslava Hipolito-Gonzalez

Omaha Central High School

Spanish

 

Monica Mendez

Ralston High School

Spanish

 

Olivia Masek

Raymond Central High School

Spanish

Taylor Bartlett

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

Wilson Overfield

Ralston High School

Spanish

 

Yesenia Ramirez

Omaha Central High School

Spanish

 

Zander Kochen

Omaha South High School

Spanish

 

 

 

Community support is a crucial aspect of strengthening the foundation of World Language instruction. We are excited to announce new partnerships that will strengthen the Seal of Biliteracy program.

Thanks to the Latino Center of the Midlands for endorsing the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy on October 24th. The Latino Center if the Midlands is a community center where everyone is welcome, and we take pride in the community that we’ve built. For the past 50 years, the Latino Center of the Midlands has been dedicated to building a stronger, more engaged Latino Community in Omaha, Nebraska. Our mission is cultivating generations of engaged, thriving Latinos through educational support, workforce development and leadership opportunities. Bilingualism is a strong part of our community, and the Latino Center of the Midlands benefits from bilingualism and bilingual education daily as we facilitate the paths of our community members to achieving their goals.

Thanks to ALTA Language Services, Inc. for endorsing the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy on November 10th. ALTA Language Services, Inc. provides language proficiency testing for High School students in more than 90 languages, including low-density languages that are often unavailable from other providers. This testing is done in conjunction with school districts throughout the United States to recognize the achievements of students who are fluent in more than one language. ALTA partners with hundreds of school districts across the country to verify language skills of students seeking the Seal of Biliteracy. Results for these tests are provided on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Scale.

More information about the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy can be found online at: www.education.ne.gov/worldlanguage/nebraska-seal-of-biliteracy.

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David Jespersen
Public Information Officer, Nebraska Department of Education
402-471-4537
david.jespersen@nebraska.gov
@NDE_News