The Ottawa Township High School administration and staff recognized the first students from the school to earn the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy with a 2026 Honors Night event in the OTHS auditorium on Wednesday, May 6.

The State of Illinois awards the Seal of Biliteracy to high school seniors achieving a high level of proficiency in English and one or more additional languages, according to a news release from the school.

“It honors the different cultures and languages that we celebrate in our school and community,” OTHS Assistant Principal Jessica Gass said. “In addition to college credit, the Seal of Biliteracy is an outstanding credential for future career opportunities.”

Seniors Andrea Espinoza, Kathysha Perez and Xina Perez earned the Seal, and seniors Perla Gutierrez and Paul Stallman received the Commendation of the Seal of Biliteracy, which recognizes students making significant progress towards that proficiency.

According to the Illinois School Code, the State Seal of Biliteracy is equivalent to two years of high school instruction in a foreign language and qualifies for credit at Illinois public community colleges and universities, which are required to establish criteria to transfer the Seal of Biliteracy into course credits at their qualifying institutions.

In addition to the recognition at the May 6 Honors Night, students at OTHS who achieve the Seal of Biliteracy are recognized at the OTHS graduation, according to the release.

The Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation of the language will also appear on the graduate’s diploma and transcript.