Dear Chronicle and Centralia School District Staff,
I was thrilled to see the recognition of over 35 students who earned a passing score on the Avant STAMP assessment.
For too long, our American school system has focused solely on English when there are over 7,000 languages worldwide. Lewis County students deserve the right to learn cultural and global competence, and this is such an exciting first step.
I am a former middle school German teacher and saw how learning German helped my students acquire a greater understanding of English and an appreciation of their own culture.
I am proud to live in a “Multi-Kulti” town, as the Germans would say. Celebrating all of the languages spoken in our district will serve to enrich sixth-generation families as much as new transplants.
Being able to communicate with others makes us stronger economically, too. A bilingual plumber can serve two client populations. A bilingual law enforcement officer can make more thoughtful decisions to keep the community safer. A bilingual pastor unites and comforts double the number of parishioners.
I hope to see more languages introduced earlier in the coming years. Combining the skills of all Centralia residents makes us a more secure and robust community. Every student should be able to earn a Seal of Biliteracy no matter what their background, native language or graduation pathway choice is.
So again, thank you, vielen Dank, and gracias.
Veronica Trapani-Huebner
Centralia
