Information about the 2012 Speech Contest will be posted in the fall, so check back for more information!

The 2011 High School Japanese Speech Contest took place on Friday, March 4, 2011 at the William Pitt Union on the University of Pittsburgh Oakland Campus. Japanese language students of all levels are able to compete against other area students. Each year over 80 students participate. Students are required to write a speech on the chosen topic for the contest. Winners receive prizes and trophies!


Winners in 2011:

Advanced Plus: John Damits (Butler High School) Teacher: Masami Schaper

Advanced: Carly O’Conner (Shaler High School) Teacher: Hilary Domencic

Intermediate: Yingping Hu (Allderdice High School) Techer: Isabel Espino de Valdivia

Beginner: (tie) Zach Rush (Norwin High School) Teacher: Hiroko Maekawa
                        Benjamin Laun(Private Student) Teacher: Junko Kapples

Poster Contest: Anna Lawrey(Allegheny Clarion Valley High School): Teacher: Dixie Lipnichan

 

What was New for 2011?

a. The categorization of contest participation was been edited for clarity. Students who were either currently in their first year of Japanese language study or otherwise involved in activities related to Japan were encouraged to participate in a Matsuri (festival)themed poster session. Second year and above students who had more practice with the language were encouraged to register for the speech contest according to language ability. (beginner level for students who are in their second year of language study up to the new advanced plus level for students who are currently in their fifth year of language study or the equivalent). Please see the Handbook for further guidelines. A newly updated rubric for the speech contest has been added for your information and students' use in preparing for the contest. This rubric is only slightly changed from previous years, but includes one new section on "appropriate speech level" in accordance with the guidelines previously given in the Information Sheet of the speech contest handbook (see Judging Criteria)
 
b. A specific topic was assigned to each level with individual standard and instructions. Three topics were carefully chosen by Speech Contest judges and ASC faculty in 2011: Self-Introduction (for beginner level); My Dream Day in Japan (for intermediate and advanced level); A Dream (for advanced plus level). Please refer to the Speech Contest Instructions for more details.