Recipient: Giselle Mendez.
82 students at Argo Community High School completed the last school year with a Seal of Biliteracy.
Al Hasan, Deputy Head of Department and EL Director, and Jennifer Julius, Head of World Languages, are very proud of all of them.
At the end of the last school year, a breakfast celebration was held for the graduates who had acquired the “Seal of Biliteracy.”
Compared to previous years, the program and the number of award-winning students have increased.
“So far, during Ms. Julius and my tenure, the number of award-winning students has increased by about 12%,” said Hasan.
The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by the State of Illinois to graduates who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English and a foreign language. It is recognized on transcripts and diplomas and is available to any Argo Community High School student who has passing grades in English and another language.
Students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy and attend a public university in the state of Illinois can receive two years of foreign language credit.
Argo has had this program for at least 10 years.
“They achieve this by proving they are bilingual,” Hasan said. “This is done by demonstrating reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in English and another language. Students can achieve this by taking a foreign language or English exam through a testing company we contract called Avant Stamp. In addition to passing a foreign language exam, students must also demonstrate English proficiency by meeting one of the following criteria: 480 or higher EBRW (SAT score), 21 points on the ACT, 4.8 points on the ACCESS test, or passing a standardized English test from STAMP.
“Students who earn this certificate receive credit at public colleges in Illinois and beyond, increasing their marketability. The Illinois School Board of Education has recognized students who earn this certificate as bilingual, qualifying them for the teaching profession. Argo students received the seal this year in six different languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Ukrainian and Czech.
The students who received the seal are:
| Abulamdi, Yaqen |
| Ali, Mahdi |
| Isabella, Alva |
| Amaya-Lozano, Jocelyn |
| Aviles-Reynoso, Elizabeth |
| Bahena, Vanessa |
| Baranek, Nicholas |
| Bednarz, Aleksandra |
| Benitez, Alexa |
| Bobak, Bartlomiej |
| Carrera, Emily |
| Castandeda-Vazquez, Arian |
| Chlebek, Angelika |
| Czuba, Sarah |
| Dabrowski, Gabriela |
| Delgado, Dear Daniela |
| Dobryk, Patrycja |
| Dominguez, Karina |
| Echavarrieta, Lesly |
| Enriquez Guzman, Octavio |
| Espinoza, Gabriela |
| Franco, Raul |
| Fries, Jacob |
| Olivia, Barbara |
| Gibala, Olivier |
| Gil, Daniel |
| Gil, Victoria |
| Guerra-Mondragon, Alan |
| Guerra-Mondragon, Kevin |
| Gutierrez Ruiz, Abigail |
| Gutierrez, Kelly |
| Hernandez-Rodea, Santiago |
| Jaimes-Torres, Oliver |
| Jarosz, Johannes |
| Jauregui, Ashley |
| Jauregui-Ibarra, Sofia |
| Jimenez-Munoz, Alexa |
| Krol, Bartlomiej |
| Kukulak, Natalia |
| Lara-Martinez, Daniel Bisai |
| Lezama, Diana Jacqueline |
| Lopez, Olivia |
| Lopez-Ochoa, Emireth |
| Lysiak, Nicole |
| Madera, Julissa |
| Madrigal, Catherine |
| Madrigal, Nathalie |
| Malczewski, Thomas |
| Marquez Enriquez, Valeria |
| Marquez, Julian |
| Marquez, Leonardo |
| Martinez, Alexa |
| Martins, Denis |
| Mazur, Victoria |
| Mendez, Giselle |
| Mizinski, Sandra |
| Murawski, Emily |
| Niezgoda, David |
| Omran, Maram |
| Ortiz, Lyzette |
| Perez-Jimenez, Edwyn |
| Pyzh, Vitalii |
| Quinones Garcia, Evelyn |
| Ramirez-Martinez, Liliana |
| Rangel, Angeles |
| Raudalez, Joselyn |
| Reyes-Guzman,Nelly |
| Rodriguez, Imanol |
| Rosales, Alan |
| Sanchez, Leslie |
| Sarna, Kevin |
| Silva, Leslie |
| Skalak, Alexander |
| Soria, Hailey |
| Soto, Joselin |
| Torres, Emily |
| Villagrana-DeLoera, Sebastian |
| Villanueva Camarena, Rosa |
| Wirtel, Karolina |
| Zamora, Kaylee |
| Zatloka, Angela |
| Zubieta, Franco |
