If you really want to understand a person, learn how to speak their language.
Over the past week at Brewster High School, Italian language students have given presentations in Italian and English as the final step towards their Seal of Biliteracy. The presentations, which were five minutes long in each language, ranged from fashion(Prada and Miu Miu) to art (Raphael’s mother and infant) to sports(Pallavolo). Students then had to answer questions, in the language of the presentation and asked by a panel of language teachers.
What is the Seal of Biliteracy and why does it matter?
The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.
“This seal will give universities an understanding of students’ skills in languages. The Seal of Biliteracy is giving each college bound student an even better edge than taking AP courses. For non-college bound students who may be going into training, the seal applied to their diploma tells future employees that they are bilingual and biliterate,” explained Italian teacher Antonio Franzè.
Brewster High School Senior Kayleigh Petit has been learning Italian since the 7th grade.
“I chose my topic because I love fashion, especially the styles of Prada and Miu Miu. I believe that a lot of their designs are really beautiful and unique. I started off by writing down what I planned on saying. I recorded myself and then I rewatched them to look out for any errors or ways I could improve them. The hardest part was actually presenting it to an audience, because that made me quite nervous. It's one thing to say it out loud to myself, but it's certainly another thing to be in front of judges.”
Jonah Park decided on the history of the Italian national volleyball team because “ I am a pretty big fan of volleyball.”
“The hardest part about the presentation was definitely preparing the whole script. The first time I practiced my presentation in front of my class, I messed up horribly. I had forgotten parts of my script, I didn’t pace myself at all, and the majority of my five minutes were filled with ‘ummm…’ and ‘uhhhh…’. It was very difficult to get myself to a satisfactory level by the time of my actual presentation in front of judges.“
Some students will continue with their language studies and some will switch languages in college and beyond. Regardless of their path, the language teachers are extremely proud of the students who put forth the effort to present.
“It was NOT an easy task, and just going through the experience was something that has enriched all the participants' lives. BRAVISSIMI!!!” exclaimed Franzè.
