Shaler Area students shine in Japanese speech contest
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Shaler Area High School students took top awards in the 22nd annual High School Japanese Speech Contest at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh’s Asian Studies Center host the Japanese Speech Contest at Pitt’s Oakland Campus each year for Japanese learners of all levels. This year, 52 students from schools throughout western Pennsylvania participated in the competition that includes four speech levels and a poster contest.
In the Advanced Plus level, senior Kylie Dougherty placed second and senior Marcus Katich placed third. In the Advanced level, junior Nathan Hayward earned first place and junior Evan Baldwin earned third place. In the Intermediate level, Jenna Facer, a sophomore, placed third, and in the Beginner level, freshman Mai Swendsen placed third.
Students are required to memorize a speech on the chosen topic for the speech contest or make a trifold poster for the poster session. The Shaler Area students who participated in the competition wrote and memorized a speech in Japanese about food in Japan at the Intermediate to Advanced Plus level, and a self-introduction at the Beginner level.