Byram Hills High School inducted 67 seniors into the World Languages Honor Society, recognizing their academic achievements in French, Italian or Spanish. Three students were honored for excelling in two world languages.
“Your accomplishment is not just about acquiring skills, but about opening doors, doors that many people without a second or third language never even realize are there,” World Languages Chairperson Melissa Stahl told the students at the Oct. 8 induction ceremony in the high school theater.
She recounted her trip to Japan last summer, when there were moments she found herself lost, not only geographically, but also culturally.
“I quickly realized that knowing how to navigate a map or pointing to a menu image to order food wasn’t enough,” Ms. Stahl said. She missed out on small conversations, jokes that didn’t quite translate and the deeper meaning behind a simple greeting because she didn’t speak Japanese.
Speaking another language, she said, allows us to understand the world a little better. “Language shapes how we think, how we view history, and how we relate to others,” Ms. Stahl said. “Without that deeper connection, you’re always seeing the world through a narrow lens.”
Ms. Stahl said her time in Japan reminded her of the importance of cultural competence. “It’s not just about knowing a language,” she said. “It’s about understanding the people.”
“Being able to speak to someone in their own language builds trust, empathy and respect,” she said. “It gives you a window into their worldview. Whether you go into business, medicine, law, or the arts, this cultural competence will be essential. It’s not just a career skill, it is a life skill.”
Ms. Stahl urged the inductees to “continue to grow your language skills, travel and immerse yourselves in new cultures.”
“Each time you do, you peel back another layer of the world and of yourself,” she said. “In the end, knowing a language isn’t just about communication, it’s about connection, perspective, and ultimately, the opportunity to live a fuller, richer life.”
The keynote speaker was Nancy Sarro, a French and Spanish teacher at H.C. Crittenden Middle School who is retiring after 32 years in the District.
“Your commitment to studying a language and its culture has and will continue to be an asset in whatever you may choose to do in the future,” she told the inductees. “I’m so proud of all of you here today who have made that commitment and have proven to be la creme de le creme.”
Mrs. Sarro recalled her childhood as the daughter of immigrant parents. Her father speaks seven languages, her mother five, she said, and English was “not the language of choice in my home.”
In kindergarten, she committed to learning French, the language she studied until graduate school. “My goal then became to teach and make others love the power of speaking other languages like I do,” she said.
Her father told her: “For each language you speak, you have another soul,” she recalled.
“I believe it’s a true gift to not only speak another language but to understand the cultural diversity that we live in today,” Mrs. Sarro said. “Cheers to you. Continue learning and accepting the cultures of others, build a strong mind, and you too, will be filled with many souls. Congratulations.”
As the ceremony concluded, Ms. Stahl also congratulated the inductees. “Your accomplishments are amazing,” she said. “Continue to be stars when you go outside of Byram Hills,” she said.
Students must earn an A or A+ in their language class for three consecutive years to be eligible for membership in the honor society.
The students inducted were:
French
Sloane Dany
Sabrina Feng
Laurel Fox
Owen Lee
Nicole Lynch
Kayleigh McLaughlin
Gabriella Merli
Maya Molloy
Ella Saltstein
Italian
Alice Adelgren
Jake Alcorn
Sage Auster*
Remi Berliner
Harrison Boyd
Connor Dallas
Jason Daly
Jordan Daly
Antonia DeVincenzo*
Sydney Dordik
Perry Ertel
Alexandra Gann
Sarah Grech
Thomas James Guido
Zoe Harris
Cooper Lipton
Christopher Lombardi
Sarina Metsch
Alexandra Mon
Chiara Monteforte
Nicholas O’Donnell
Sophia Perrotta
Audrey Rosenberg*
Jake Rosenberg
Ava Schoenhaut
Emmett Wolland
Spanish
Sage Auster*
Tyler Bond
John Calvao
Lauren Chase
Alexis Cutier
Antonia DeVincenzo*
Keira Eckhardt
Eashan Goel
Alexa Goldberg
Emily Goldman
Gabriel Goldman
Casey Goldstein
Mark Kanner
Charlotte Karp
Samantha Keltz
Chloe Kohl
Inaara Lalani
Sebastian Lashmet
Andrew Levy
Thomas Levy
Maya Licznerski
Ethan Lipton
Julia Mahairas
Savannah Mathis
Isabella Pantusa
Evan Petta
Liam Porter
Harli Rappaport
Abigael Rondeau
Audrey Rosenberg*
Aaron Stein
Alana Vincequerra
Slater Weiss
Jordyn Wolf
Adrianna Zawojek
*Double language inductees
