Notre Dame Celebrates World Language Excellence

The World Language Department at Notre Dame High School hosted a special evening to recognize outstanding student achievement in French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. A total of 78 exceptional students were inducted into the National Language Honor Societies, and 70 additional students were honored for earning Gold and Silver medals or Honors of Distinction on their respective World Language National Exams. This marks the fourth consecutive year that these prestigious exams have been administered at Notre Dame.

The joyful celebration was led by Senior Payton White, who served as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. Mrs. Michele Martinez, Principal of NDHS and the evening’s guest of honor, delivered an inspiring speech. Drawing from her journey of learning Spanish and exploring Hispanic cultures, she reminded students how mastering another language can be both personally enriching and professionally empowering, helping bring the wider world a little closer to home.

Two exceptional students, Eduardo Encarnación and Tommaso Peluso, received the coveted World Language Student Award for Excellence, presented by the entire Notre Dame World Language Department.  Tommaso was recognized for his extraordinary accomplishments in both Spanish and Italian, earning gold medals in Spanish Heritage exams and both Gold and Silver awards in Italian.  Eduardo not only achieved the highest national score on the Spanish Heritage exam but also earned a Gold medal in French, underscoring his dedication and talent in world language studies.

2025 World Language Honor Society Inductees

French
Kiera Bailey, Caitlyn Breece, Samantha D’Angelo, Nina Encarnación, Mary Kerwick, Sawyer Kinney, Abigail Lobis, Lou-Victoria Martens, Lincoln Mottershead, Sanchez Emma Sabo, Jamie Werdal

Italian    
Gabrielle Almanzor, Maddalena Creo, Dominic Cuniglio, Elizabeth DiVirgilio, Isabella Dworak, James Falcone, Ava Fallon,
Amirah Glanton, James Iacona, Roman Klish, Cole Ksiazek, Kara Lushbaugh, Rachael Mann, Delanie Meszaros, Makensie Meszaros, Simeon Salins, Lena Scharibone, Madeline Schmid, Marco Valerio, Jeremy Varghese
     
Latin
Benjamin Bridgewater Daniel Carnevale, Emily Deussing, Timothy Ellingson, Tarun Kovoor, Lily McCabe, Alberto Primerano, Molly Rovner, Colin Tash

Spanish
Sophie Antoun, Olivia Blount, Jennifer Borowick, Clementine Bowden, Victoria Bucchere, Grace Buffa, Isabela Castro, Jenna Cocuzza, Aubrey Davis, Miah Fitzpatrick, Jenevieve Gopez, Damian Hamm, Saniyah Hines, Raphael Iwamoto, Mehakpreet Kaur, Riley Kerins, Kelsey Kramer, Hailey Krone, Ryan Lushbaugh, Isabella Maldari, Owen McAtee, Wyatt Moore, Mickala O’Connell, Callie Okamura, Laura Parrot, Caitlin Patrick, Danica Ricketts, Ashton Robbins, Natalia Rodriguez-Ibanez, Caleb Rowlands, Matthew Saganowski, Dana Santos, Lucas Serinese, Nathan Sevinsky, Oscar Solares, Matthew Stackhouse, Dillon White, Samantha Zebrowski

Click here to view the 2025 National World Language Exam winners.

Congratulations to all National Language Honor Society Inductees! Bravo to all students who earned top marks on their National Exams! The World Language teachers at Notre Dame are incredibly proud of your dedication and success.  We encourage each of you to continue your language studies with passion and purpose - exploring new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities at ever higher levels.  Keep reaching for excellence!

Mrs. Demaree, Mrs. Grianti, Mrs. Grimonprez, Mrs. Lopez, Mrs. Sabogal, Mrs. Savarese-Ahearn, Mrs. Ward