Nine Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts students earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy for the Fall 2025 semester.
The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is awarded each spring and fall to students in ninth through 12th grades who demonstrate a proficiency in English and at least one other language before graduating high school.
Students who earned the seal this fall and the languages for which they earned recognition include:
- Benjamin Dong, a senior from Arkadelphia, Chinese (Mandarin);
- Alexander Cox, a senior from Russellville, French;
- Priya James, a senior from Mountainburg, French;
- Raegan Smith, a senior from Jonesboro, French;
- Sophia Lee, a senior from Russellville, French;
- Makenna Kutzschebauch, a senior from Benton, Spanish;
- Emily Lin, a senior from Little Rock, Spanish;
- Kira Marshall, a senior from Benton, Spanish; and
- Subi Shakya, a senior from Russellville, Spanish.
The program is sponsored by Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association and the Arkansas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Arkansas Department of Education officially endorsed the seal in June 2018. The Seal of Biliteracy program is recognized in 49 states and Washington, D.C.
Since the 2017 pilot year in Arkansas, a total of 8,110 students from 124 high schools around the state have attained this certification across 46 languages other than English, according to a release from the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy Committee.