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Congratulations WHS senior Rachel Loya on receiving a 2020 Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy award!

Rachel Loya earns Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy award!

WHS senior among 37 students state-wide honored by the NE Department of Education & NE International Languages Association for high proficiency in multiple languages

The Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska International Languages Association have awarded 38 Seals of Biliteracy to 37 Nebraska students this semester.

The Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy is a collaboration between the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the Nebraska International Language Association honoring high school students who have achieved a high level of proficiency in English and at least one other language.

Students apply for the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy after demonstrating proficiency based on the Nebraska World Language Standards structured around communication, cultures, connections, communities, and cognition within a language other than English.

One of this year's recipients is Wahoo High School senior Rachel Loya!

Under the guidance of former WHS Spanish instructor Weston Sieck, Loya was able to complete the AP Spanish Exam (Language & Culture) in the spring of the 2019-2020 school year. Upon completing the exam, Loya earned a score of "4," and through meeting other award criteria, was awarded the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy with Gold Level distinction.

"Rachel is such a hard-working individual," Sieck commented. "I could not be prouder of her accomplishment!"

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The AP Spanish Language and Culture course strives not to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the expense of communication. To best facilitate the study of language and culture, the course is taught almost exclusively in Spanish. The AP Spanish Language and Culture course engages students in an exploration of culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. The course develops students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g., tools, books, music, laws, conventions, institutions); practices (patterns of social interactions within a culture); and perspectives (values, attitudes, and assumptions).

Rachel's success on the AP Spanish exam opens up a few additional options for her, depending upon her plans after high school. A score of 4 or higher earns her credit at participating postsecondary schools. If she decides to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha, for instance, Rachel would earn credit for Spanish 1110, 1120, 2110 and 2120 (16 total credit hours). 

"Rachel's continued commitment to learning is further supported with this achievement!" said WPS Director of Learning Dr. Josh Snyder. "She is a diligent student and a positive member of our high school community."

Congratulations Rachel on this impressive accomplishment!

2020 Fall Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Recipients

Rachel Loya
Wahoo High School

Spanish

Teagan Ahrens
Bishop Neumann Catholic High School

Spanish

Abby Flint
Broken Bow High School
Spanish

Meg Carney
Elkhorn High School
Spanish

Miriam Call
Elkhorn South High School
Spanish

Sef Sarroub-Le Sueur
Lincoln East High School
French

Esme Krohn
Lincoln High School
German

Valentina Catalano
Lincoln High School
French

Thea Lahey
Lincoln High School
German

Raegan Wood
Lincoln High School
Spanish

Natalie Holding
Lincoln High School
French

Leah Schartz
Lincoln High School
Spanish

Ella Hansen
Lincoln High School
French

Bailey Larson
Lincoln High School
French

Alicia Haar
Lincoln High School
German

Lizbeth Rojas Montoya
Lincoln High School
Spanish

Kareleen Lakamp
Lincoln Southwest High School
Spanish

Allison Woodard
Lincoln Southwest High School
Spanish

Emma Hain
Lincoln Southwest High School
Spanish

Kenny Zhu
Millard North High School
Chinese, Spanish

Yeonjeong Lee
Millard North High School
Spanish

Natalie Siahpush
Millard North High School
Spanish

Alice Young
Millard North High School
Spanish

Mary Ulrich
Millard North High School
Spanish

Andrew Schmidt
Millard North High School
Spanish

Isa Luzarraga
Millard North High School
Spanish

Grace Henderson
Millard North High School
Spanish

Felicia Xiong
Millard North High School
Spanish

Danielle Glasgow
Millard North High School
Spanish

Chethana Deeduvanu
Millard North High School
Spanish

Channon Ci
Millard North High School
Spanish

Molly March
Millard North High School
Spanish

Grecia Blanco
Omaha Bryan High School
Spanish

Aolani Mickles
Omaha Burke High School
Spanish

Frank Arita
Omaha South High School
Spanish

Eryn Busenbark
Ralston High School
Spanish

Mina Testolin
Westside High School
Spanish

Rachel Loya earns Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy award!

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