11 WCHS Seniors Recognized For Multilingual Proficiency
June 13, 2020 at 12:09 a.m.
By Jackie Gorski-
The students were Adriana Rivera Orellana, Belen Alvarado, Benjamin Beyer, Britney Gonzalez, Charlotte Grandon, Eduardo Hernandez-Guttierez, Fernando Niebbia, Giselle Ramos, Ivette Malagon, Nayeli Quintero and Yesenia Ponce.
Matthew Barrett, assistant principal at Warsaw Community High School, said he put together a group of individuals “for us to put together an opportunity to extend and reach out to students at our high school that maintained knowledge based on their knowledge and their wonderful academic work” in being proficient in different languages. “We had one student try three, which is quite an accomplishment.”
Serving on the multilingual proficiency certification team are Noemi Ponce, Spanish and heritage language teacher; Chantel Sorensen, world language teacher and department leader; Kaylynn Lampen, English language teacher and department leader; Luisa Davis, co-director of WCHS counseling department; Kelly Meeks, instructional coach; Krista Polston, grants and special events coordinator; Amanda Nine, assistant principal; Barrett; and Dani Barkey, assistant superintendent for secondary schools.
In the process, the team worked hard to figure out a timeframe for the assessment and the logistics behind that, he said. They were able to offer it this year, despite many things being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barrett said the certification was offered only to seniors this year, which “was a bummer” because the high school wanted to offer it to sophomores and juniors as well.
The certification of multilingual proficiency is part of a larger focus that includes the Dual Language Immersion Program, according to a news release from Warsaw Community Schools. This is the first year students took the Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency assessment that aligns to global language standards. The assessment is divided into four parts: speaking, listening, writing and reading.
“This test is very rigorous,” Barrett said. On a scale of 1 to 10, students had to score at least a six in each of the four categories. It was not an average.
Last year, the test was able to be offered to any student. This year, the test was offered to 13 students, Barrett said.
WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said, “This is a very prodigious award. You really have to be at a top level to accomplish this. For all the students who accomplished this, congratulations.”
The school board also approved a pandemic pay stipend.
The pandemic pay stipend is $300 for WCS’s transportation, maintenance and food service employees, who “were our frontline” that helped hand out meals, said April Fitterling, chief financial officer.
The stipend is to help recognize the employees that have been on the frontline, who have been at work physically, Hoffert said. “While we know that $300 is not life changing, we wanted to show it as a recognition how important their work was.”
Hoffert said meals and wifi were provided. “These are frontline heroes.”
Fitterling said the school district had just reached 200,000 meals handed out this week.
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The students were Adriana Rivera Orellana, Belen Alvarado, Benjamin Beyer, Britney Gonzalez, Charlotte Grandon, Eduardo Hernandez-Guttierez, Fernando Niebbia, Giselle Ramos, Ivette Malagon, Nayeli Quintero and Yesenia Ponce.
Matthew Barrett, assistant principal at Warsaw Community High School, said he put together a group of individuals “for us to put together an opportunity to extend and reach out to students at our high school that maintained knowledge based on their knowledge and their wonderful academic work” in being proficient in different languages. “We had one student try three, which is quite an accomplishment.”
Serving on the multilingual proficiency certification team are Noemi Ponce, Spanish and heritage language teacher; Chantel Sorensen, world language teacher and department leader; Kaylynn Lampen, English language teacher and department leader; Luisa Davis, co-director of WCHS counseling department; Kelly Meeks, instructional coach; Krista Polston, grants and special events coordinator; Amanda Nine, assistant principal; Barrett; and Dani Barkey, assistant superintendent for secondary schools.
In the process, the team worked hard to figure out a timeframe for the assessment and the logistics behind that, he said. They were able to offer it this year, despite many things being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Barrett said the certification was offered only to seniors this year, which “was a bummer” because the high school wanted to offer it to sophomores and juniors as well.
The certification of multilingual proficiency is part of a larger focus that includes the Dual Language Immersion Program, according to a news release from Warsaw Community Schools. This is the first year students took the Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency assessment that aligns to global language standards. The assessment is divided into four parts: speaking, listening, writing and reading.
“This test is very rigorous,” Barrett said. On a scale of 1 to 10, students had to score at least a six in each of the four categories. It was not an average.
Last year, the test was able to be offered to any student. This year, the test was offered to 13 students, Barrett said.
WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said, “This is a very prodigious award. You really have to be at a top level to accomplish this. For all the students who accomplished this, congratulations.”
The school board also approved a pandemic pay stipend.
The pandemic pay stipend is $300 for WCS’s transportation, maintenance and food service employees, who “were our frontline” that helped hand out meals, said April Fitterling, chief financial officer.
The stipend is to help recognize the employees that have been on the frontline, who have been at work physically, Hoffert said. “While we know that $300 is not life changing, we wanted to show it as a recognition how important their work was.”
Hoffert said meals and wifi were provided. “These are frontline heroes.”
Fitterling said the school district had just reached 200,000 meals handed out this week.
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