The Sacramento Bee – Marissa Lang
“Speaking Spanish doesn’t make high school senior Karla Garza Plascencia feel different. It doesn’t make her feel like an outsider in a school where English dominates, or like a foreigner in a state where – just 16 years ago – more than 60 percent of voters supported a measure that gutted the state’s bilingual education programs. It gives her a sense of community, said Plascencia, who earned top scores on her Advanced Placement English and Spanish exams. It makes her feel more confident about her future. Plascencia, 17, of Foothill High School was among hundreds of students who received certificates Monday night acknowledging their achievement of the State Seal of Biliteracy, a state program that recognizes high school seniors who have achieved a “high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English,” according to the California Department of Education.”(more)