A total of 172 Rockwood School District students earned the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy this year, a 77 percent jump from the 97 who earned the honor last year. The district announced the results July 10, noting students demonstrated fluency in 12 languages spanning Spanish, French, Dari, Tamil, and Ukrainian.

Students at Eureka High, Lafayette High, Marquette High, and Rockwood Summit High earned recognition in Spanish (135 students), French (29), German (2), Portuguese (2), Russian (2), American Sign Language, Chinese, Dari, Japanese, Mandarin, Tamil, and Ukrainian (1 each). The district lists Chinese and Mandarin as separate categories.

For context, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported 1,697 Seal of Biliteracy awards statewide in 2025, the most recent year with published totals. Rockwood's 172 honorees would represent roughly 10 percent of that figure.

Students who stood out

Two students earned the Distinguished Missouri Seal of Biliteracy, the higher-tier award recognizing advanced proficiency in at least two languages: Melissa Freire of Lafayette High and Caterina Speziali of Marquette High, both in Spanish.

Four students demonstrated biliteracy in two different languages. Viktoriia Goncharenko of Lafayette High earned hers in French and Russian. Leeza Nozdrachova of Lafayette High earned hers in Russian and Ukrainian. Tatiana Petroni of Lafayette High earned it in Portuguese and Spanish, and Gabriela Sousa of Marquette High did the same.

Among the rare-language honorees: Rabia Hakeem of Rockwood Summit High earned the Seal in Dari, Sanaja Diraviyam of Marquette High in Tamil, Hiroki Fingerhut of Rockwood Summit High in Japanese, and Chloe Bennett of Lafayette High in American Sign Language.

What the Seal means for families

The credential appears on a student's official transcript and diploma. Some Missouri colleges accept it as evidence of language proficiency for course credit or advanced placement, though policies vary by institution. The program is open to all students studying any language, including native and heritage speakers who did not learn through a classroom.

Three juniors also earned Seals this year, showing the program is not limited to graduating seniors.

Families with students interested in pursuing the Seal can find program details and eligibility information on Rockwood's world languages page at rsdmo.org.