Seventeen students at Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi earned the Global Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish this spring, a credential recognized by colleges and employers that certifies language proficiency beyond the classroom.

The students qualified by scoring a 3 or higher on the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam in May, the school announced on Wednesday, Aug. 26. That exam requires writing an argumentative essay in Spanish, completing presentational speaking tasks and demonstrating advanced reading and listening comprehension.

All 17 passed.

Ten of the honorees graduated with the Class of 2026: Tiernan Bracken, Chris Fritz, Alex Lemon, Ryan Moore, Donovan Sarafa, Jacob Sievert, Isaac Tauil, Gavin Tisch, James Womac and Alex Zoltowski.

Seven current students also earned the seal: Juan Acosta (Class of 2028), Aidan Flukes (2027), Max Fritz (2028), Santiago Garcia (2027), Guillermo Garza (2027), Adrian Mejia (2027) and Santiago Tovar (2028).

The seal isn't new to Catholic Central's highest academic achievers, either: at least three of the school's Class of 2026 Top Ten Scholars, Philip Calabrese, John Kiousis and René Salinas Carrillo, also hold the credential, though they aren't among the 17 recognized in this spring's announcement. Salinas Carrillo earned the Working Fluency level, which requires a perfect AP score of 5, while Functional Fluency requires a 3 or 4.

Catholic Central's Language Department said it was proud of the students' commitment to developing their bilingual skills.

Unlike a state-level honor, the Global Seal of Biliteracy is an independent international credential issued in collaboration with schools and an independent certifying body. It is serial-numbered and can be listed as a certificate on a résumé or LinkedIn profile, giving students portable proof of bilingual ability as they enter college or the workforce.