Chinle High senior earns Navajo language bilingual seal

Aimee Lee’s Navajo language seal gives Chinle High School something more than a line on a transcript. The senior’s recognition as an advanced speaker in Diné Bizaad carries weight in Apache County because it marks a student who can move between Navajo and English at a level that matters in classrooms, tribal offices, courts and health care settings.

Chinle High School said Lee represented the school after passing the Navajo Language Proficiency assessment and earning a Bilingual Seal as an Advanced Speaker. The school also identified her as a senior in Ms. Farrah Begay’s Navajo language class and said Chinle High is among a select few schools across the reservation with a student receiving the distinction.

The Navajo Nation Seal of Bilingual Proficiency Assessment is designed for graduating high school seniors who can fluently read, write and speak Diné. Navajo Nation criteria say proficiency includes speaking accurately and easily, conjugating verbs correctly, conveying meaning through complex sentences and communicating effectively and competently. The Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education’s Office of Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment Development offers the assessment during the spring semester each year.

That credential has practical consequences. Arizona Department of Education guidance says the seal is placed on a student’s diploma and noted on the transcript, giving colleges and employers a formal record of language ability. For students in Chinle and surrounding chapters, that can strengthen applications for higher education and public-service jobs where Navajo fluency is a real asset, not an informal bonus.

The seal also fits into a larger statewide system. Arizona created its State Seal of Biliteracy program through SB 1239 in 2016, and the Navajo Nation assessment was added to Arizona’s approved assessment list in the 2017-2018 school year. In 2022-2023, Arizona awarded 1,658 seals statewide, up from 1,421 for the prior graduating class, with students from Coconino, Maricopa, Pinal, Navajo and Pima counties represented.

The Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education also held a recognition banquet for seal recipients at Fire Rock Casino in Gallup, New Mexico, on April 17, 2026, underscoring that Lee’s achievement is part of a broader reservation-wide effort to keep Navajo language skills visible, measurable and valued. For Apache County, that makes the seal both a cultural marker and a workforce signal.