Buen trabajo and bravo!

Twenty-nine Wilbraham & Monson Academy students earned Global Seal of Biliteracy Certificates, which rates language proficiency in two languages based on AP scores or the Avant Assessment.

“Students performed very well in Spanish and French,” explained Madame Fabienne Dubois, Chair of the Foreign Languages Department. “We are very proud of them. It is difficult to receive the Global Seal because you need to have good proficiency in each of the skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. You need to be at least Intermediate-Mid in each section for the first level of the Seal (Functional Fluency) and you need to be Advanced-Low (or a score of 5 on the AP exam) to receive the second level of the Seal (Working Fluency).”

The tests were administered during the 2024-25 school year. Three French students achieved Working Fluency status: Katie Hutcheson ’26, Cooper Dwyer ’25 and Emma Landry ’25. For Spanish, Jimin Hong ’25 reached the Working Fluency level.

Winning Functional Fluency honors for French were: Surya Kapa ’27, Vicky Luo ’28, Lillian Ricci ’26, Coco Valenzuela Lastra ’26, Regan Zhao ’25, Celia Hansen ’26, Linda Xiao ’25, Alba Pelaez-Rodriguez ’25 and Breslin Grozio ’25.

Sixteen students in WMA Spanish classes received recognition for Functional Fluency: 

Gabriel Hall ’26, Adrianna Chechile ’26, Dakotah Thomas ’26, Cyril Chan ’28, Andrew Chang ’28, Nikos Kratimenos ’28, Daniel Pierce ’29, Khloe Thomas ’28, Romy Allen-Schubert ’27, Eoin Cavanaugh ’27, Wyatt Cavanaugh ’27, Brady Chisholm ’27, Sara Di Pangrazio '27, Lily Meier ’26, Jan-Paul Ramesh ’26 and Sophia Najeebi ’25.

“This recognition is not only a reflection of their skills, but of their dedication, perseverance and love for learning a new language,” said Señora Maridol Linares, who teaches Spanish. “Many of these students have been growing in Spanish for three or four years even more, and watching their progress has been incredibly rewarding. I am very proud of each of them for embracing this challenge and working so hard to achieve it.”

Madame Dubois said the proof is in the numbers regarding how learning a second language can benefit a person. “Learning a world language is essential for many reasons. Nearly 75% of the world does not speak English, so knowing another language immediately expands your ability to connect with others. Becoming bilingual or multilingual also strengthens key soft skills such as creativity, critical thinking, empathy and communication. 

“Research consistently shows that students who study another language perform better on standardized tests like the SAT. Colleges still value applicants who complete at least four years of language study, and employers actively seek bilingual or multilingual candidates, often rewarding them with higher salaries. Even in a world full of AI tools, language learning remains incredibly valuable, and nothing can replace genuine person-to-person communication.”