Celebrating Excellence: NFA Hosts 2025-26 New York State Seal of Biliteracy Recognition Ceremony
The Newburgh Enlarged City School District proudly hosted the New York State Seal of Biliteracy Recognition Ceremony in the Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) Main Campus Auditorium. The evening celebrated the incredible linguistic and academic achievements of NFA students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and one or more world languages.
To date, Newburgh Free Academy has recognized 492 scholars who have earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy, offering Spanish, French, and Italian. As a designated "Super Veteran" (10+ Years) Seal School by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), NFA continues to highlight the immense value of bilingualism and cultural diversity within our community.
The NYS Seal of Biliteracy carries the highest weight on a school’s “Readiness Measures,” on par with the NYS Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams and transitions well to the state's new Portrait of a Graduate standards.
The ceremony commenced with a warm welcome and opening remarks from NFA Co-Principals Matteo Doddo and Susan Valentino, followed by a presentation from the AFJROTC Color Guard and the Pledge of Allegiance led by student Alani Alencastro.
Dr. Chastity Martínez-Morales, Director of Language Acquisition shared information about NFA's program highlights and introduced the evening's distinguished keynote speaker, Elisa Àlvarez, Associate Commissioner of the Office of Bilingual Education & World Languages (OBEWL) at NYSED, who presented highlights of NFA's program in comparison to those around New York State.
The program also featured inspiring student presentations introduced by Mrs. Maria VannReyes, World Languages Lead Teacher and PR/HYLI Coordinator. The featured student speakers included: Diosmarí Rodríguez, Roman D'Alfonso, Arelie Rojas Saldaña, and Liliana Reyes.
The night concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Elisa Correa-Soto, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.
This year, a total of 76 students officially received their Seal of Biliteracy certificates, with an additional 6 anticipated recipients recognized. A special congratulations goes out to Isaac R. Ortega Quinonez, who achieved the rare distinction of earning the Seal in TWO World Languages.
Those noted with an asterisk represent the 16 students who were selected to represent NFA at New York State's Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PRHYLI). This year, Newburgh was one of 23 high schools in the Hudson Valley to offer the PRHYLI program to students of Hispanic origin.
Seal of Biliteracy Recipients:
Esmeralda Avila Ortega
Laura F. Acevedo Alarcon
Dayanara M. Alejos
Alani M. Alencastro
Jostin Alvarez Aguasvivas
Angel A. Arellano Castilla
Genesis C. Barahona
Sadie M. Barnes
Madelyn G. Bell
Stefano J. Berrospi*
Shirley D. Blanco Beltran
Yoniel A. Brito
Ivana M. Caballero Corea
Isabella A. Caipa
Idalyn Callejas Valle
Vanessa L. Camacho
Lisbeth J. Canaca
Aidan C. Casey
Jacob Clemente
Catalina I. Cordova
Roberto C. Coyopol Solis
Alejandra L. Cruz Aguirre*
Roman D. D'Alfonso
Gabriela L. Escobar
Camila Espinoza
Selena Fierro
Wendy Garcia
Yeferson O. Garcia Antonio*
Luddyn R. Garcia Ardon
Isabella A. Gines
Ashly D. Gomez Vasquez
Joselyn M. Gonzales
David Guevara
Guillermo Guevara
Leila Hamdoun
Meriem Hamdoun
Tahiri S. Landolfa
Angelica Lopez
Keren P. Manrique
Camila M. Maradiaga Lozano
Adrianny A. Maria Rodriguez
Victor E. Martinez Medina
Elisa Mejia
Alejandro D. Mejia
Jimeiris D. Morales
Mateo A. Morell
Brandon Nava
Alondra E. Oliveros
Isaac R. Ortega Quinonez (Seal in Two World Languages)
Sasha C. Peralta
Jaylin C. Perez
Vivian I. Piscitella
Alexander J. Prince*
Ann M. Quintero
Sarah R. Ramirez
Liliana E. Reyes*
Diosmari Rodriguez
Deysha Z. Rodriguez
Alisson V. Rodriguez Zapateiro
Arelie Rojas Saldana*
Jonathan E. Rosario
Jennifer Rosas
Teagan M. Rowley
Julese S. Smith
Yesenia Vaquero
Anthony Vaquero
Dennise Vaquero
Britney N. Vara Pajuelo
Karla Vazquez
Carlo D. Vela Cachay
Ema F. Velez
Jessica G. Villa
Lyne Waklieu
Bianca Y. Woodley
Maritza J. Zepeda Ortega
Dominick Y. Zorilla Flores
Anticipated Recipients:
Emerson Alvarez-Garcia
Ciara A. Carcamo Mejia
Christopher A. Garcia*
Zuleidy L. Grullon Baez
Genesis C. Merlin Hernandez
Gabriela A. Solorzano Pina
*Designates a PR/HYLI Participant
After the ceremony, the students and guests were invited to share a meal, served by members of our community. The celebration perfectly aligned with the spirit of global citizenship, echoing the profound words of Hélder Câmara featured in the night's program: "Keep your language. Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm. But try to march together with men of different languages, remote from your own, who wish like you for a more just and human world."
A huge thank you to Superintendent Dr. Manning Campbell, the Central and Building Administrations, our incredibly dedicated world language faculty, the tech and visual support staff, and the proud parents and guardians who supported these student-linguists on their journey.
Congratulations to all of our 2025-26 Seal of Biliteracy recipients! Your hard work opens doors to a brighter, more interconnected world.
ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!
