Spanish, Rohingya, German, French — those languages and more could be heard at MPS’s annual Language Festival, where 169 seniors were awarded the Seal of Biliteracy.

The seal, a state-approved credential, can be earned by graduating high school students who are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English and one or more other languages.

Students must also show sociocultural competence in their languages — that is, an understanding of the culture in which the language exists. They attend cultural activities, clubs, conferences, or workshops to gain the knowledge and then are evaluated by writing an essay, giving a presentation, or being interviewed. 

In all, the 169 seniors represented 12 languages. In addition to English, the languages are:  

• Burmese 
• French 
• German 
• Hmong 
• Karen languages 
• Malay (macrolanguage) 
• Punjabi 
• Rohingya 
• Spanish 
• Tigrinya 
• Urdu 

The students were from 10 MPS schools: Audubon Technology and Communication Center, Bay View High School, Golda Meir School, Alexander Hamilton High School, Rufus King International High School, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Milwaukee School of Languages, Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School, Riverside University High School, and South Division High School. 

Seniors received their awards in front of family and friends at Golda Meir School’s Rosa Parks Auditorium on May 30. And for the first time, students received cords to wear at graduation that represent their Seal of Biliteracy status. 

The work students do to earn the Seal of Biliteracy generally requires a commitment of several years. 

“You could say the Seal of Biliteracy represents two things: your past, and your future,” MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD, told students at the Language Festival. “Your past, because it shows how hard you’ve worked and how dedicated you have been to get here today to receive this honor. Your future, because being fluent in more than one language is like holding a key — a key that unlocks the door of opportunity.” 

Surveys have shown that people who are fluent in more than one language are more likely to be hired, and they are more likely to earn more money. They also are considered more valuable to their employers than employees who know only one language.   

'You have a superpower'

“You have a superpower. You know another language, or two, or three, or more,”  Dr. Thor Templin, keynote speaker at the Language Festival and principal of MPS’s Milwaukee German Immersion School, told the students. “You have a doorway, a gateway, to worlds that other people don’t have.” 

Learning a second language, he said — speaking from experience — makes it easier to learn other languages and adds to understanding of other cultures. “It opens a new door, a new perspective, on how the world works, how language works, and how people communicate. And it’s given me a new way of not only reaching new people and new cultures, but it’s also given me a way to understand how we see or perceive reality.” 

MPS has awarded the Seal of Biliteracy on behalf of the State of Wisconsin since 2020. It now is one of only 38 public school districts in the state to offer Seal of Biliteracy studies. In recent years, more students at Milwaukee Public Schools have earned the Seal of Biliteracy than in any other school district in Wisconsin.