¡Felicitations! Highlights from the Language Honor Society Induction

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two”. Vestavia students definitely agree with this quote by Federico Fellini. Our school boasts five amazing language programs and almost every student takes a language at some point in high school. While many students take a language for the credit towards their diploma, high achievers that take the course through three levels can earn a spot in their language’s national honor society. Students also have the option of taking an exam that assesses their proficiency and have the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy. This year on January 24, hundreds of students were recognized by their peers and their teachers for their achievements in 7 different languages.

Before the event began, I asked several students for their thoughts on language and the ceremony. Kanna Ramaswamy, a Spanish student receiving the honor society distinction, replied that she “loved how everyone is getting recognized for all the hard work they’ve put into learning a language.” She also said she planned to minor in Spanish, “so this is kind of a big deal for me”. I also spoke with a few of the Vestavia Ambassadors who were guiding parents to their seats. “It’s incredible how much support the Vestavia community has for their students, especially the parents who have made it here to celebrate their honorees,” said Anna Kate Bailey. Finally, I talked with two French Honor Society officers: vice president Ethan Schmidt and treasurer Logan Gregory. They explained that “this is really a celebration of all the hard work and outstanding academic records of our students. It’s bigger than a mark on a resume, it’s a lifetime of cultural enrichment”.

After hearing such glowing words from our students about the ceremony, it was no surprise that Vestavia hosted several special guests to see what all the hype was about. Not only were Todd Freeman and Jaclyn Hudson (superintendent and president of the board of education, respectively) in attendance, but a representative of the Alabama Department of Education was also there. The ceremony began with the recognition of Seal of Biliteracy earners. Since Vestavia began the program in 2017, 689 students have earned the seal in 13 different languages. This year, the program has been expanded to schools across Alabama through the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy. The goal is not just biliteracy, but biculturalism. This year was also the first time Vestavia could award the seal for American Sign Language, a milestone for the ASL program. Besides Spanish, French, Latin, and German, the seal was awarded this year for Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.

Next, students in their third level of a language who maintained A’s each semester of their language course were inducted into their respective language honor societies. The president of each society performed a speech in their language and inducted each new member. This year’s presidents were Hunter Carroll (Spanish), Patrick Ball (Latin), Fatima Malik (French), and Riley Newsome and Maribel Johnson (German). Congratulations to all students who were recognized for their hard work and commitment to broadening their horizons!