By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
When Baker High School bid adieu to the Class of 2018 this past Sunday, four of the departing seniors had an additional reason to celebrate.
Blake Battersby, Elinor Grage, Benjamin Iven and Anna Miller were awarded the Seal of Biliteracy for proving their proficiency in English and at least one other language. Battersby, Iven and Miller presented their projects in German, while Grage did hers in French.
“We have distinctions for about every other skill out there. I think it’s about time that we recognize languages as a state and as a country as being essential,” said Ben Girardi, German/English as a New Language teacher and biliteracy program adviser.
Gerardi’s class is the first batch of Baker students to complete the program. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law in 2012 making New York the second state to implement the Seal of Biliteracy. The New York State Board of Regents officially adopted the program in 2016. The Seal of Biliteracy has been adopted by 31 states and Washington, D.C.
Each student had to create a portfolio based around a theme and defend the project to a panel of teachers from various school districts. Defense Day took place May 22.
“They essentially had to scan through their work and look for themes that would cross over to German or French,” Gerardi said. “[They chose a] unifying theme that would relate English 12 to the modern language classrooms.”
Much of the work was self-driven, Gerardi said. He set up a website and calendar that the students could use to reserve time in the library or to meet with him.
Anna Miller said the program will give her head start toward her goal of becoming a German/ENL educator, like Gerardi.
“What really kept me motivated is my interest in the German studies, because that’s what I want to do when I get out of high school and college. I wanted to make sure that this is where my focus is,” she said. “I looked at it as an opportunity to do more self-studying so I can learn more before I jump right into it.”
The program is rigorous. At the Dec. 14 edition of Coffee and Conversation, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Renee Burnett said there were 19 candidates for the Seal of Biliteracy. Ultimately, only four stuck it out.
When the students became squirrelly in anticipation of graduation and summer vacation, “I had to marshal their motivation,” Gerardi said.
“He showed us that we were more than capable of doing it,” said Blake Battersby. “If I didn’t have Herr Gerardi as a teacher, I don’t think I would have pursued it.”
Miller said it was an honor to be part of the first group of Baker students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy.
“We blazed the path in showing people how to get this award by overachieving,” she said. “We went quite above what we were supposed to do, but it was better to be over-prepared to show what we could bring to the table.”
The program gives students not only an educational advantage, but also helps a leg up in the job market. Knowing multiple languages strengthens international relations, especially considering the increased globalization of manufacturing and other industries.
“If they could keep their proficiency up
in multiple languages, their job opportunities would be sky high, and we need that right now,” Gerardi said.
Gerardi pointed to the recent meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as an example of the need for interpreters.
“Whenever you have a one-on-one meeting of world leaders, you have to have at least two interpreters,” he said.
In 2009, the CIA identified a number of “mission-critical” languages that are important to know for national security. Among those languages are Arabic, Korean, Urdu and Russian.
“We are dealing with these countries on a daily basis either economically or militarily,” Gerardi said. “There’s a lack of American-born, capable translators.”
The Seal of Biliteracy program is also open to English language learners (ELL students) and English as a new language learners (ENL). These students must demonstrate proficiency in English and one other language, often their home language.
“Baldwinsville in general has a reputation for being a world languages district, so it’s also part of the definition of our community,” Gerardi said.
Gerardi said the Baldwinsville district is home to about 100 students whose primary language is something other than English. There are 16 different languages among Baldwinsville’s “heritage learners.” Among them are Ukrainian, Arabic and Korean. Gerardi is hoping to recruit more of these students for the biliteracy program.
“Kids who come to school every day and speak English perfectly and go home [and speak their home language] … might not be recognized by the educational system,” Gerardi said. “We have students that are polyglots that speak four different languages.”
For many heritage learners, Gerardi said, the only way to gain recognition for their language skills is to pay for a certification exam outside of school. The Seal of Biliteracy gives those students the opportunity to certify their skills in their home district.
“Aside from [a student] paying to take an exam and maybe having to travel to take the test, she can get it through the public education system,” Gerardi said. “We have a consortium through BOCES.”
Miller and Battersby had some advice for students considering the biliteracy program.
“If you’re studying a language and you’re already passionate about that language, it’s really not that hard — you’re defending your own work,” Battersby said. “The reward is definitely worth the work. People really hold the seal In high regard. … It’s not just a little sticker on your transcript.”
Miller said if a student can hold a conversation in their chosen language, they should consider going for the seal.
“We knew a lot more about German than we thought,” she said. “To have this award really strengthens your confidence in your knowledge of the culture and language you’ve been studying all this time.”
