Sixty-Four SHS Students Earn Language Awards Including DESE State Seal of Biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy recipients increase for third straight year, spanning eight languages

SALEM (May 7, 2025) – Juniors Sindi Sula, Guywintz Jules, Morissa Binns and Ajlin Kodheli each earned the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction and led a record 64 Salem High School students who earned similar honors in a ceremony Tuesday morning at the SHS M. Ruth Norton Auditorium.

The DESE Seal of Biliteracy is an award granted by state-approved school districts that recognizes high school students who attain high-functioning and academic levels of proficiency in English and at least one other world language – through reading, writing, listening and speaking – by graduation. 

Students who received an intermediate or higher score in all four categories earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

The 64 students marked an increase from the 2022-24 school year, which saw 62 students earn the Seal.

“The growing interest in attaining the State Seal of Biliteracy shows what a significant advantage and skill multilingualism is in today’s world,” said Andre Fonseca, Director of the Multilingual Learner Education at Salem Public Schools. “It is also a testament to our multilingual learning staff who are tirelessly encouraging more and more students to learn at least one language other than English.”

The 2025 SHS Seal of Biliteracy Class encompassed eight languages: Spanish (47), Portuguese (eight), French (seven), Haitian Creole (five), Albanian (four), Jamaican Patwah (two), Italian and Indonesian (one each)

Ms. Sula, who received the Seal with Distinction in Albanian, and Mr. Jules, who earned Distinction honors in Haitian Creole, were two of six students who earned Seal of Biliteracy honors in more than one language. Ms. Sula earned the Language Opportunity Coalition Award in Spanish while Mr. Jules earned Seal of Biliteracy honors in French.

Junior Daniel Andrade earned Seal of Biliteracy honors in Portuguese and Global Seal of Biliteracy honors in Spanish while junior Delmyah Previl earned Seal of Biliteracy status in Haitian Creole and the Language Opportunity Coalition Award in Spanish and French.

Senior Michanda Esperance earned Global Seal of Biliteracy honors in three languages – Spanish, French and Haitian Creole – while junior Van-Der Deponge earned Global Seal status in Haitian Creole and Language Opportunity Coalition honors in French.

Among the Seal of Biliteracy categories, 23 students earned the State Seal of Biliteracy, which honored students who earned a score of 471 or higher on the MCAS as well as a score of intermediate-5 on all four categories in their partner language.

Twenty students earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy, which required a score of 455 or higher on the MCAS and a score of intermediate-4 in their partner language. Twenty-five students earned the Language Opportunity Coalition Award – up from six students last year – which requires a score of intermediate or higher in their partner language.

Among the guests at the ceremony included Dominick Pangallo, Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike, Deputy Superintendent Kate Carbone, and Salem School Committee members Mary Manning and AJ Hoffman.

The Seal of Biliteracy program at SHS supports the four core priorities of the District’s 2023-26 Strategic Plan: elevating learning, empowering educators, centering belonging and strengthening the District’s foundation.

2024 Massachusetts DESE Seal of Biliteracy, Language Opportunity Coalition Biliteracy Achievement Award Recipients

State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction

• Morissa Binns (Jr.), Jamaican Patwah
• Guywintz Jules (Jr.), Haitian Creole
• Ajlin Kodheli (Jr.), Albanian
• Sindi Sula (Jr.), Albanian

State Seal of Biliteracy

• Jose Alvarez Barranco (Jr.), Spanish
• Daniel Andrade (Jr.), Portuguese
• Lisbet Baez (Sr.), Spanish
• Kira Bester (Jr.), Spanish
• Gabriel Bueno De Oliveira (Sr.), Portuguese
• Alexia Coleman (Jr.), Spanish
• Ana De Melo Barros (Sr.), Portuguese
• Genesis Espaillat Abreu (Jr.), Spanish
• Dinaidelyn Espinal Pujols (Jr.), Spanish
• Iverson Gonzalez (Jr.), Spanish
• Amelia Guzman Cabrera (Sr.), Spanish
• Jurkely Henandez Duran (Jr.), Spanish
• Guywintz Jules (Jr.), French
• Leyka Louis (Sr.), Haitian Creole
• Ariadny Pimentel (Jr.), Spanish
• Johan Polanco (Jr.), Spanish
• Carlos Polanco Ramirez (Jr.), Spanish
• Eddy Polanco Olivo (Sr.), Spanish
• Delmyah Previl (Jr.), Haitian Creole
• Linsey Reyes Rodriguez (Jr.), Spanish
• Arianna Silot (Sr.), Spanish
• Lindita Smerqaku (Jr.), Albanian
• Humberto Souza Oliveira (Sr.), Portuguese

Global Seal of Biliteracy

• Mia Almonte (Sr.), Spanish
• Daniel Andrade (Jr.), Spanish
• Yelena Batista Bone (Sr.), Spanish
• Samuel Cruz-Millan (Jr.), Spanish
• Sthefany Da Silva Bilio (Jr.), Portuguese
• Van-Der Deponge (Jr.), Haitian Creole
• Tori Edwards (Jr.), Jamaican Patwah
• Michanda Esperance (Sr.), French, Haitian Creole, Spanish
• Liannette Lopez Firpo (Sr.), Spanish
• Eden McClain (Jr.), Spanish
• Angel Reyes Tejeda (Jr.), Spanish
• Jaley Rodriguez (Sr.), Spanish
• Alexis Sanchez (Jr.), Spanish
• Ana Sosa Duarte (Sr.), Spanish
• William Towne (Jr.), Spanish
• Victoria Vasquez Travieso (Sr.), Spanish
• Kaio Vilar Duarte (Sr.), Portuguese
• Ariona Xhemaili (Jr.), Albanian

Language Opportunity Coalition Award

• Priscilla Aquino Carmona (Jr.), Spanish
• Dariel Baez (Jr.), Spanish
• Manuel Canas Panameno (Jr.), Spanish
• Van-Der Deponge (Jr.), French
• Luis Encarnacion Velazquez (So.), Spanish
• Michell Farias Gomez (Sr.), Spanish
• Dinaycha Gonzalez (Jr.), Spanish
• Raymi Gonzalez Mesa (Sr.), Spanish
• Yisseuris Gonzalez Maria (Sr.), Spanish
• Angela Jerome (Sr.), French
• Dareisy Jimenez Hernandez (Jr.), Spanish
• Yandel Laguer (Jr.), Spanish
• Reggie Linder Duran (Sr.), Spanish
• Daylove Lumas (Jr.), Portuguese
• Jerika Mateo (Sr.), Spanish
• Isabella Ortiz Cruz (Jr.), Spanish
• Delmyah Previl (Jr.), French, Spanish
• Tanachpond Sanprasert (Sr.), French
• Isabelly Souza De Moura (Jr.), Portuguese
• Wyn Stevick (Jr.), French
• Sindi Sula (Jr.), Spanish
• Dewa Trisna (Jr.), Indonesian
• Rylan Workman (Jr.), Spanish
• Brooks Workman (Jr.), Spanish

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.