NDE World Languages Newsletter

• Nebraska Leadership on the National Stage
• Celebrating Biliteracy: Student Success and Statewide Progress
• Nebraska Educator Receives National ACTFL DL SIG Award
• 2025 World Language Award Recipients Honored at the NEBLA Conference
• Meeting Your NEBLA Board: 2026 President-Elect
• World Language Opportunities
• End the Semester Strong: For Students. For Yourself. You Matter.
• Teacher Story: Dr. Abla Ismail Hasan at UNL

Thanks to Kelly Garcia from ESU5 for reviewing this newsletter!

Disclaimer: The Nebraska Department of Education World Language Program shares information about external scholarships, grants, and opportunities as a service to educators, students, and families. Inclusion in this newsletter does not imply endorsement or recommendation by the NDE. Readers are encouraged to review each opportunity carefully and determine its relevance and suitability for their own context.

Nebraska educators and leaders continue to contribute to national conversations in world language education through service on professional boards and organizations.

Alicia Dallman Shoemaker has been elected to the ACTFL Board of Directors as the Central States Regional Representative, representing educators across the region in national discussions related to policy, professional learning, and program development in world language education.

Dr. Xianquan (Chrystal) Liu, World Language Specialist at the Nebraska Department of Education, has been appointed to the 2026–2027 NCSSFL Board as Technology Coordinator.

These national leadership roles strengthen connections between Nebraska and the broader world language community and support alignment between state and national initiatives.

The Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Committee are pleased to share the November 2025 Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy results. In this award cycle, 198 Seals of Biliteracy were awarded to 197 Nebraska high school students, recognizing their achievement of high levels of proficiency in English and at least one additional language.

For the November 2025 awards, students demonstrated proficiency in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish. The names of awardees are listed in the official news release below, printed with parent or guardian permission.

📄 Full News Release: https://tinyurl.com/2026NovSealNewsRelease

Sincere thanks are extended to school administrators, world language teachers, and parents for their continued support of biliteracy development across Nebraska. Appreciation is also extended to the Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Board for dedicating their time to reviewing applications and updating the Seal of Biliteracy handbook. Congratulations to all student awardees on this outstanding achievement.

The Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy continues to experience significant growth statewide, reflecting Nebraska’s expanding commitment to multilingualism and student achievement.

• 2022: 294 Seals awarded

• 2023: 320 Seals awarded

• 2024: 387 Seals awarded

• 2025: 589 Seals awarded

This strong upward trend underscores the increasing value placed on biliteracy across Nebraska schools. The Nebraska Seal of Biliteracy has now been added to the state accountability system and is recognized as a postsecondary readiness indicator, further strengthening its role in supporting students’ future success. In addition, the Seal is included in the Nebraska Department of Education 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, with a statewide goal of 1,000 students earning the Seal of Biliteracy by 2030.

Together, these milestones reflect Nebraska’s continued leadership in recognizing and advancing biliteracy as an essential asset for students, communities, and the state.

Kelly Garcia, a Nebraska world language educator, has been named a 2025 ACTFL Dual Language Special Interest Group (DL SIG) Online Teaching Award recipient in the Higher Education category.

She serves as a Spanish teacher and curriculum developer with Educational Service Unit 5 and as a dual credit instructor at Nebraska Wesleyan University, reflecting Nebraska’s strong commitment to high-quality, innovative language instruction.

As part of this recognition, Kelly Garcia and her supervisor, Dr. Nick Ziegler, will present a webinar for the ACTFL DL SIG on AI-enhanced best practices in language teaching. For details about the webinar, please visit the DL SIG webinar website.

Outstanding Educator Award (NEBLA)

My name is Hannah Julia Paredes Kilnoski Michalak, and I’m honored to serve as the President-Elect of the Nebraska Languages Association (NEBLA) this year. I currently work as the Dual Language and World Languages Teaching and Learning Consultant for Omaha Public Schools, a role that has been my dream job since I was 16.

As a proud graduate of Omaha Public Schools’ Dual Language and World Languages programs, I’ve experienced firsthand the transformative power of language education in our state. My journey took me from Nebraska to China as a U.S. State Department NSLI-Y scholar in high school, an experience that sparked my lifelong love of languages. I continued studying languages throughout college and eventually returned to China as a language teacher.

Now, I’m privileged to collaborate with passionate educators across our district and state. Together, I believe we can create meaningful, globally connected learning experiences that empower Nebraska students just as my education empowered me.

I’m excited to work alongside all of you to elevate language learning and celebrate the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of our communities.

ACTFL has opened the Call for Proposals for the 2026 ACTFL Annual Convention & World Languages Expo, to be held November 20–22, 2026, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The ACTFL Convention is an international professional learning event bringing together more than 6,000 language educators across languages and levels, offering research-informed and classroom-focused professional development.

ACTFL encourages proposals that address the needs of today’s learners and educators, with a focus on innovative programs, emerging trends, and effective practices grounded in research.

• Submission Deadline: Monday, January 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

• Proposal Submission Portal

• Submission Guidelines and Rubrics

Educators seeking support are welcome to contact Chrystal Liu (chrystal.liu@nebraska.gov), who has presented multiple times at ACTFL, for suggestions or feedback, including proposal review prior to submission.

World language educators are encouraged to register for the 2026 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (CSCTFL), held March 12–14, 2026, at The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The 2026 conference will be a joint event with the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL).

The conference will feature an opening keynote by Devin Siebold, along with workshops and 140+ sessions focused on proficiency-based instruction, intercultural communication, curriculum and assessment, technology integration, and current research in language education. Educators will also have opportunities to learn from national and regional World Language Teachers of the Year and explore best-of sessions from across 14 Midwestern states.

A list of Nebraska-led sessions is available via this link.

Registration information is located here.

The 2026 Spring NDE World Language, NEBLA, & CLTA SIG K–12 Guest Speaker Series brings together national and regional experts to share research-informed, classroom-ready strategies that support proficiency growth, student engagement, and innovative instruction across world languages.

This spring’s sessions explore topics such as developing listening and speaking skills (e.g., Dr. Gianfranco Conti), boosting student engagement and communication (e.g., Maite Gallo Velasco), and navigating emerging opportunities and challenges in AI-enhanced classrooms (e.g., Tom Welch; Dr. Nick Ziegler), along with practitioner-led conversations grounded in Nebraska classrooms.

Sessions run from January through April 2026 and are open to world language educators across Nebraska and beyond.

📅 View the full schedule and join sessions:
https://tinyurl.com/WLwebinarcalendar

Several grants and scholarships are available through CSCTFL and partner organizations to support world language educators and future teachers.
All application deadlines: January 15, 2026

• Project-Based Learning Grants (Klett World Languages)
  Support creative, student-centered language projects connected to real-world language use.

• Travel & Study Scholarships
  Language-specific opportunities that support immersive travel or study experiences in Spanish (Guatemala, Spain, Peru) and German (Germany).

• Future Language Educator Scholarships (Vista Higher Learning)
  $1,000 scholarships for high school seniors and college students planning a career in world language education.

🔗 More information and application details, please go to the webpages (linked above).

High school students across Nebraska studying Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese are invited to participate in the 48th Annual UNL Language Fair on Thursday, April 9, 2026 (morning–early afternoon) at the City Campus Union at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

This free event (registration required) offers students opportunities to demonstrate language proficiency and cultural understanding through competitive and interactive events. The 2026 theme, The Beauty of the World, celebrates global languages and cultures.

Please register here by March 26, 2026. For more details, please visit the website.

High school students interested in becoming educators are invited to attend Teacher Education Visit Day at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) on January 22, from 12:30–4:00 p.m. This campus visit includes a campus tour, student panel, faculty overview, and activity fair, offering students and families a firsthand look at UNK’s Teacher Education programs. Parents are welcome.
🔗 Learn more and register: unk.edu/visit

High school students are invited to attend the 2026 UNO Language Celebration on Friday, March 6, 2026 (8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.), hosted by the UNO Department of World Languages and Literature at the Milo Bail Student Center on UNO’s Dodge Campus.

Students will explore UNO language programs (Spanish, Spanish for Health Sciences, French, German, Italian, and Japanese), learn about study abroad, dual enrollment, and language pathways, connect with community partners, and participate in judged performance and project-based events that showcase language and cultural learning.

Registration (coming soon) and payment are due February 1, 2026 ($5 per student; lunch included).
Registration questions: Elena Nieto (enieto@unomaha.edu) | Payment questions: Marie Lee (mglee@unomaha.edu). For more details, please check the website.

World Language Week invites educators and students across Nebraska to participate in a statewide celebration of languages and cultures through live and on-demand learning opportunities.

Spanish Day – February 9
Spanish Day features a full day of live activities and interactive sessions facilitated by Dr. Nick Ziegler (ESU 5) and world language educators from across the state. Activities are designed to engage students at all levels and work flexibly within a variety of class schedules. In 2025, nearly 700 students from 37 school districts participated in live Spanish Day activities.

On-Demand Themed Days

• February 10 – French Day

• February 11 – German Day

• February 12 – Chinese Day

• February 13 – World Cultures Day

These days feature on-demand activities and recorded sessions that can be integrated into classrooms at any time during the week.

Professional Learning for Teachers
World Language Week also includes four live webinars for educators:

• February 3 – Arabic as Lingua Sacra: An Intratextual Introduction (Abla Hasan)

• February 14 – Getting Students Talking: Practical Ways to Boost Engagement and Improve Speaking Skills (Maite Gallo)

• February 18 – FILL in the Blank: How to Be Ready for World Language Opportunities and Challenges in the AI Age (Tom Welch)

• February 25 – AI: Enhancing Best Practice (Dr. Nick Ziegler & Kelly Garcia)

More details and access information will be shared as the event approaches.
🔗 World Language Week website:
https://sites.google.com/esu5.org/nebraskaworldlanguageweek/home

Please help Spread the Word: 2026 American Principals’ Trip to China

World Language teachers—your voice can help connect leaders with life-changing global opportunities! Please share the information about the 2026 American Principals’ Trip to China, hosted by Capital Normal University in partnership with the Nebraska Language Association (NEBLA).

This five-day summer program invites school principals, district leaders, and educators to explore Chinese language and culture firsthand while building international connections. Encourage your administrators to join an unforgettable experience that promotes intercultural understanding and strengthens global education in Nebraska schools.

📅 Application Deadline: December 31, 2025
🔗 Register Here

For questions, contact neprincipaltrip@gmail.com, hannah.paredes@ops.org, or hjuliapk@gmail.com.

The end of the semester is here—and it is worth pausing to notice what has been accomplished. Your students have taken risks, tried new strategies, and used language in ways they could not at the beginning of the term. That growth deserves recognition. And so does the work you have done to make it possible. Ending the semester strong is not about doing more; it is about closing with intention, joy, and care.

For Students: Make Learning Visible and Celebrate Growth

The final days of the semester are a powerful opportunity to shift from coverage to celebration. Simple, joyful experiences can help students recognize proficiency growth, reflect on learning strategies, and leave class feeling confident and connected.

Brain Break Remix invites students to design and lead short, culturally inspired brain breaks and explain the learning habit behind them. In a Japanese class, students might remix Radio Taisō and connect repetition to listening stamina. In Spanish, a simple salsa step can be tied to rhythm and memory. In German, a structured movement routine may highlight focus and precision. These moments energize the room while reinforcing how learning happens.

With End-of-Semester Reels, students tell the story of their learning through short videos or slides. In French, reflections may be framed with « Au début, je pouvais seulement… » and « Maintenant, je peux… ». In Chinese, students might record clips beginning with “以前我只能…, 现在我可以…”. These reels make growth visible without turning reflection into another assessment.

A reflective Spin-the-Language Challenge keeps energy high while staying grounded in proficiency. Prompts focus on describing a new skill, explaining a helpful strategy, or reflecting on a task that stretched comfort zones. Responses are brief, personal, and low pressure across languages.

The Language Time Capsule offers a quieter pause. Students capture a snapshot of what they can do now, which strategies supported their learning, and one goal for the future—creating an artifact they can revisit later to see progress.

To extend learning beyond the classroom and strengthen belonging, the Winter-Break Playlist Project invites students to co-create a class playlist in the language of study. Through exploration, evaluation, negotiation, and collaboration, students build a shared cultural artifact that keeps language—and community—alive during the break.

For optional, no-stress engagement, LookBreak Bingo-Lite keeps language present in playful ways—sparking curiosity without expectations or grading.

For Yourself: Don’t Skip This Part

Just as we are reminded on every airplane to secure our own oxygen mask before helping others, teachers must take care of themselves in order to be fully present for their students. Prioritizing well-being is not self-indulgent; it is essential. When teachers are rested, supported, and grounded, they are better able to create classrooms where students feel safe to take risks, communicate, and grow in another language.

As you choose what works best for your students, remember this: you matter, too. Join the brain break. Enjoy the playlist. Smile at the reels. If reflection and celebration matter for students, they matter for teachers as well.

Here are a few simple, restorative ways to end the semester strong—just for you:

Five-Minute Win
Take five minutes—at your desk, in the hallway, or with a colleague—and name one genuine win from the semester. A student who finally spoke spontaneously. A routine that worked. A moment of laughter in the target language. Say it out loud or write it down. Recognition is the goal.

The “Nothing to Fix” List
Write down three things that worked this semester and deliberately leave them alone. No revising. No refining. Just acknowledgment that good teaching already happened.

Teaching Memory You’ll Keep
Capture one moment you want to remember a year from now. A sentence, a photo, a note on your phone. Save it without analysis as a reminder of why you teach languages.

A Language Moment Just for You
Reconnect with the language you love—through a song, a short video, a favorite snack, or a few pages of reading. No instructional purpose required. This is about joy.

The “Next Semester Can Wait” Agreement
Jot down ideas if they surface, then close the notebook. Rest is not falling behind; it is how sustainable teaching happens.

Ending the semester strong does not require perfection or extra effort.
It starts with pausing long enough to notice growth, share joy, and protect your energy.

For your students.
For yourself.
You matter.

The most powerful way of challenging stereotypes is something many people take for granted: education. Creating a better understanding of students' learning of the Arab and Islamic culture has been a mission that Dr. Abla Ismail Hasan has maintained for more than a decade while serving as a Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Hasan was born in Damascus, Syria. She received her undergraduate education from Damascus University. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 2000, followed by a Diploma in Higher Studies in Philosophy, before graduating in 2001. Hasan’s life in Syria began to flourish after her graduation. She met and married her husband, Hassan Saleh, in 2002, describing her experience as “love at first sight,” as well as welcoming their first of three children in 2004. Her dream to get her PhD in Philosophy of language started to actualize, as she received the MA Fulbright scholarship to study Philosophy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007. After receiving her PhD from UNL, Hasan was immediately hired to develop the Arabic Studies Program in 2013.

Hasan has successfully founded UNL’s Arabic Program. With help from current and previous Department Chairs, the Arab community of Lincoln, colleagues, and friends, she was able to introduce a minor in Arabic Studies. The vibrant Program today provides a plethora of opportunities to learn about the Arab world and culture, in addition to offering three years of Arabic language instruction. The program that Dr. Hasan hopes to expand as a State Program offers 2 years of online Arabic to allow all interested NE students to learn Arabic. In addition to in-person courses, Dr. Hasan’s “Arabic for all” mission provides asynchronous and flexible opportunities to learn the Arabic language. Arab culture courses offered in English are carefully designed to bring the Arab world to Dr. Hasan’s classroom. Courses are designed to introduce American students and Arab heritage students alike to some of the most fascinating and rarely studied aspects of the Arabic world and culture. The Program, via a variety of courses, introduces students to the most famous love stories in Arabic history, women in the Qur’an, the current debates in the Islamic world, and the intellectual life in the Arab world.

Despite the success with the Arabic program and in her rewarding teaching career, Dr. Hasan still felt that her journey was far from complete. There are so many philosophical conundrums involving Islam, the gender-egalitarian message of the Qur’an, women’s rights in Islam, and Islam as a monotheistic tradition; therefore, inspired by her class discussions and brilliant students’ questions, she published three academic books. In her research, Dr. Hasan does not avoid but addresses her students’ most controversial questions: “Why does God allow pain and suffering?”, “How to reconcile the Qur’anic message of social justice and humanity with elements that seem to portray infidelity as a justification for killing?”, “How can we explain the pain and suffering of animals?” “How can we understand the pain and suffering of children?”, “What does the Qur’an say about women’s rights?” are some questions, out of the many questions Dr. Hasan addresses in her books.

Dr. Hasan believes that higher education is often necessary to answer some of the world’s biggest questions. And because of her passion for teaching, Dr. Hasan has been able to bring the Islamic and the Arabic world to her classroom. The internet, social media, and instant messaging platforms have eliminated geographical barriers. “Cultural literacy is an effective tool to support students' understanding of the world”, Dr. Hasan says. Therefore, “globalization of academic curricula is a must in a world that is more connected than ever before.”

NDE World Language Education will continue to offer customized professional development opportunities to meet the unique needs of Nebraska Educational Service Units (ESUs) and school districts. Our comprehensive offerings for the 2025-2026 academic year encompass a variety of enriching themes. Please check the document for details or contact Chrystal Liu at chrystal.liu@nebraska.gov for questions.

Please check the 2025-2026 annual events for Nebraska World Language Education

for Nebraska World Language events. If you or your organization have events to share, please email Chrystal Liu (chrystal.liu@nebraska.gov) to add your events in the shared calendar.

Email: chrystal.liu@nebraska.gov
Website: https://www.education.ne.gov/worldlanguage/
Location: 500 S 84th St 2nd Floor, Lincoln, NE 68510
Phone: 402-430-8147

Facebook: https://secure.smore.com/n/g35ek

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nde_worldlanguage/

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