At the recent World Languages Honor Society and NYS Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) awards ceremony, 83 high school students were recognized for their hard work, dedication, and scholarship in World Languages. Congratulations to the 56 students who were inducted into the World Languages Honor Society and the 27 students who were recognized for earning the NYSSB.
All Honor Society inductees completed service hours throughout the school year participating in language and cultural activities ranging from holiday celebrations, National Foreign Language Week activities, tutoring other language students, working with native speakers, and volunteering their time.
The NYSSB recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in English and one or more world languages. The intent of the NYSSB is to encourage the study of languages to identify high school graduates with advanced language skills for employers and universities, prepare students with 21st-century skills (cultural competence, global citizenship, effective communication), recognize the value of language instruction, and to affirm the value of diversity in a multilingual society.
This year’s keynote speaker, 2021 SUNY Albany graduate Ryan Hale, is a content creator who makes videos about foreign languages for fans across multiple platforms aiming to inspire, teach, and entertain. (He is also a former student of BH-BL French teacher Kate Palanza).
He provided words of wisdom to this year’s award recipients: “As you probably notice everyday, our world is becoming more and more interconnected, and with that interconnectedness comes the collision of ideas, languages, and cultures. All of you here before me possess qualities of individuals best suited to tackle the challenges and trials of this new era. It is an exciting time to be alive, and by knowing a foreign language you will be able to better experience all the awesome things that this world has to offer. Who knows where learning languages will take you?”