KEWANEE WEATHER

KHS Spanish students receive state biliteracy awards


By The Kewanee Voice    April 23, 2024
Students winning state literacy awards are, from left: First Row: Tori Dennison*, Vanessa Cardoso, Stephanie Espinoza, Amaris Sanchez*, Hannah Tiska*, Andrea Lang, Alex Hager*, Jackson Hawkins, James Roginski, Jonathan Sanchez*.
Second Row: Crystal De La Torre, Izabel Karns, Melissa Fragoso*, Elena Jackson, Jillian Bennison, Avery Yepsen*, Hope Peed, Isaac Lynes, Laryn Conley*, Noelia Martinez*, Cruz Paredes*, Brady Clark. Third Row: Javier Ochoa Ramos, Armando Moran Caudillo, Jacqueline Del Toro Sanchez, Jersie Duytschaver, Eleanor Burkhart*, Perla Mejia*, Bethany VanWassenhove, Ashley VanWassenhove, Jack Coombes*, Jesus Zepeda, Cooper Bates. Fourth Row: Alison Bartell, Angelica Hernandez, Estrella Morado Mendoza, Addison Gerard. *Denotes Seal of Biliteracy. [Photo courtesy of Kewanee High School]

Thirty-seven students at Kewanee High School have been recognized as Seal of Biliteracy and Commendation toward Biliteracy scholars. 

The award is given annually by the Illinois State Board of Education to students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in Spanish and English.

The Seal of Biliteracy program  encourages students to have a strong development of linguistic, cultural and communicative competence. 

Literacy in two or more languages represents a challenging academic standard and enables students to participate more fully in a global arena.  These skills provide a foundation for college and career readiness in an increasingly interdependent world. 

Two honors are available, the Seal of Biliteracy and the Commendation toward Biliteracy. 

The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who have earned a high score on the English portion of the SAT and an advanced proficiency level on the STAMP test using a scale set by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages. 

The Commendation toward Biliteracy is awarded to students whose proficiency level is rated at intermediate in one or both of the languages.