Independent School District 622 recognized 114 graduating seniors who earned Minnesota Bilingual Seals during the school board meeting Tuesday evening, highlighting the district's commitment to multilingual education.

The awards ceremony honored students who demonstrated proficiency in languages including Spanish, French, Amharic, Chinese, German, Oromo, Somali and Yoruba. Students earned three levels of recognition: world language proficiency certificates, gold bilingual seals and platinum bilingual seals. Dr. Amy Luckner, who presented the awards, noted that if all recipients chose to obtain available college credits, they would have earned 314 total credits.

The board also heard a presentation on the district's FLIGHT after-school program, which served 573 middle school students in its first year. Kurt New, who oversees the program, reported that the initiative operates Monday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. at John Glenn and Sky View middle schools, offering more than 50 clubs ranging from fencing and K-pop dance to Model United Nations. The program is funded through a three-year, $1.5 million state grant.

In other business, the board approved a social studies curriculum adoption for grades 7-8, selecting McGraw Hill's "United States History: Voices and Perspectives" and "Exploring Geography and Global Issues." The six-year agreement will cost approximately $50,000 annually, not to exceed $300,000 total. The district is also developing a personal finance course that will become a graduation requirement starting with current ninth graders.

Construction updates included progress on Tartan High School's renovation project, which is 89% complete and scheduled for substantial completion in August. The district also celebrated the activation of solar panels at Castle and Eagle Point elementary schools, with power-up ceremonies scheduled for May 28-29.