Whitfield Honors Seal of Biliteracy Recipients

During a recent assembly, The Whitfield School recognized students who earned the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy, an award that honors graduating seniors who demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one additional language, along with strong sociocultural understanding.

This year, 11 seniors earned the Seal of Biliteracy, with two students achieving the Distinguished Seal. Each recipient met rigorous benchmarks, including qualifying English scores on the ACT or SAT, successful completion of AP exams in French or Spanish or the AAPPL language assessment, and a demonstration of sociocultural competence through either a personal essay or a community-based project conducted in their studied language.

The Seal of Biliteracy is included on students’ high school transcripts and signals to colleges, universities, and employers a high level of functional fluency in two languages. In many cases, colleges also award credit to students who have earned the distinction.

Learning a second language requires patience, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks. The students recognized have shown that commitment, engaging deeply with both language and culture in meaningful ways.

The 2025-2026 recipients of the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy are:

Luiza Andrade
Owen Bamford
Maya Becker
Kaitlin Cochran
Jaxon Grayem
Morgan Lee
Mackenna Reiter
Jamison Sprunt
Maeve Toolan
Kylin Walls
Finley Wilkins
Winnie Murphy
Lizzie Pruett

This year marked the pilot of the program at Whitfield, initially offered in French, Mandarin, and Spanish. Beginning next year, students will have the opportunity to pursue the Seal of Biliteracy in any language, expanding access and recognizing the diverse linguistic backgrounds within the Whitfield community.