<strong>From staff reports</strong>

The South Carolina Department of Education has recognized eight graduating seniors from northern Beaufort County for their outstanding achievements in foreign language studies.

The Seal of Biliteracy honors students who demonstrate proficiency in both English and at least one additional world language by their graduations.

Students are honored with Gold, Silver or Bronze Biliteracy Awards based on their English grade-point averages throughout high school as well as their qualifying scores on language proficiency exams.

“The benefits of proficiency in more than one language are growing steadily for South Carolinians,” the Department of Education said. “Students who have already demonstrated a functional level of proficiency in English and at least one other language will have an edge in a competitive job market.”

Northern Beaufort County students recognized were:

Battery Creek High – Alex Barradas Perez and Brian Villatoro (Silver in Spanish); Andrea Martinez, Leybin Castellano, David Masis Marin, Biara Ortega Morales and Heidy Ramirez-Apolinar (Bronze in Spanish).

Beaufort High – Jose Restrepo (Silver in Spanish).