Fourteen Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned the Arkansas Seal of Bilteracy for the Fall 2023 semester.
The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is awarded each spring and fall to students in ninth through 12th grades who demonstrate a proficiency in English and at least one other language before graduating high school. More than 400 students across the state earned the seal this fall.
The program is sponsored by the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association and the Arkansas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Arkansas Department of Education officially endorsed the seal in June 2018. The Seal of Biliteracy program is recognized in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
ASMSA students who earned the seal this fall include:
- Gavin Chen, a senior from Benton, Chinese;
- Michelle Lin, a senior from Little Rock, Chinese;
- Christian Lu, a senior from Jonesboro, Chinese;
- Nasya Choy, a senior from Conway, French;
- Eli Goodrich, a senior from Conway, French;
- Alex Hernandez-Oaxaca, a senior from Conway, French;
- Michaela Stevens, a senior from Hot Springs, French;
- Karilynn Arellano, a junior from Mineral Springs, Spanish;
- Matthew Carter, a sophomore from Hot Springs, Spanish;
- Eva Cummings, a junior from from Fayetteville, Spanish;
- Berto Garcia, a junior from Nashville, Spanish;
- Jaime Hernandez Perez, a junior from Decatur, Spanish;
- Faith Wesley, a sophomore from Hot Springs, Spanish; and
- Sarah Pham, a junior from Hot Springs, Vietnamese.
Since the 2017 pilot year in Arkansas, a total of 4,777 students from 100 high schools
around the state have attained this certification across twenty-four languages other than English, according to a release from the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy Committee.