Press Release– The Kearny School District proudly celebrated a milestone year for its multilingual programs, marked by a record-breaking number of students earning the prestigious New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy and major state-level recognition for district leadership and faculty.
At the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NJBE) Annual Spring Conference President’s Awards Reception held in May, Kearny Superintendent Flora Encarnacao was officially honored as the Seal of Biliteracy Superintendent of the Year.
Encarnacao, who began her career in education as a bilingual teacher before transitioning to master teacher, director of curriculum, assistant superintendent and eventually superintendent, has championed numerous critical initiatives in Kearny.
Under her leadership, the district implemented tuition-free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for parents, hired a specialized social worker to connect immigrant families with resources, and supported the creation of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Honor Society, after-school tutoring, and summer programming.
“Our world language offerings give students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures, gaining reading, writing and speaking skills that provide a substantial boost well beyond their time in school,” said Superintendent Flora Encarnacao. “I am incredibly grateful to our world language and bilingual/ESL educators who build self-confidence in our students. A large part of their success is simply because their teachers believed in them. These programs truly prepare our students to succeed in a global society.”
The event also featured a dedication ceremony celebrating Lincoln Middle School educators Allyson Kennedy and Juliana Neno, who received the prestigious Barbara Tedesco Collaboration Award.
Sponsored by NJTESOL/NJBE, this honor recognizes an exceptional collaborative partnership between an ESL/bilingual educator and a colleague whose shared commitment to supporting multilingual learners reflects the power of teamwork, inclusion, and student-centered teaching.
The state-level accolades coincided with a historic achievement for the Kearny High School Class of 2026. A total of 156 seniors, representing 34% of the senior class, successfully qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy, making this the largest cohort in Kearny High School history.
The accomplishments of this year’s graduating class showed the linguistic diversity of the Kearny community, spanning 10 different world languages: 124 recipients in Spanish, 30 in Portuguese, two in Japanese, and one each in Bosnian, Croatian, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Serbo-Croatian, and Urdu.
A highlight of the results was the extraordinary dedication of six Kearny students who earned the Seal for two distinct world languages alongside English: Wallace Alves Comes Duarte (Portuguese and Spanish), Dylan Fernandez-Ochoa (Japanese and Spanish), Camila Lago-Giuffra (Portuguese and Spanish), Stefano Marino Ontano (Italian and Spanish), Gabriela Moreira (Portuguese and Spanish), and Cecillia Tavares De Castro (Portuguese and Spanish).
One student became the first in school history to earn the distinction for three world languages: Emilda Jadadic (Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbo-Croatian), and another student, Mendok Gurung, earned the distinction in four world languages (Hindi, Korean, Japanese, and Nepali), an unprecedented showcase of academic excellence.
Beyond the core achievements of the graduating class, the district’s ESL/Bilingual Program played a vital role in these results. The cohort includes 36 recipients currently enrolled in the program and an additional 48 former program students receiving the recognition.
The district celebrated these historic results with a formal recognition ceremony for all 156 recipients at the end of the month. The event honored the hard work of these student leaders and highlighted the vibrant cultural fabric that continues to define the Kearny school district.
Photos courtesy of the Kearny School district