The 16th Annual Japanese Speech Contest in Southern Nevada

On Saturday, March 7, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, and the Southern Nevada Japanese Teachers Association co-organized the 16th Japanese Speech Contest at Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas.
 
28 students, from middle school to university level, participated in this year’s contest and demonstrated their ability in Japanese language studies and preparation for this contest. Approximately 100 audience members, including students’ family, friends, and teachers, also attended in support of the contestants.
 
The Consulate would like to extend our sincere congratulations to this year’s contestants and commend each of them on their hard work.

Results

Middle/High School: Level 1

1^st Place:        Bella Diedrich (Sig Rogich Middle School)
                        “My Family”
2^nd Place:       Gemma Dettrey (Centennial High School)
                        “My Family”
3^rd Place:       Maya Chimaroke (Sig Rogich Middle School)
                        “Friends”
4^th Place:       Madeline Shimko (Palo Verde High School)
                        “I am Madeline Shimko”
5^th Place:       Jacob Grantz (Las Vegas Academy)
                        “Self Introduction” 

Middle/High School: Level 2

1^st Place:        German Moralez (Sig Rogich Middle School)
                        “My Dog”
2^nd Place:       Athena Raja Abad (Spring Valley High School)
                        “Let’s be polite”                    
3^rd Place:       Cassidy Torpey (Sig Rogich Middle School)
                        “Volleyball”               
4^th Place:       Angel Baeza (Desert Oasis High School)
                        “Life at Home”
5^th Place:       Jace McKay (Las Vegas Academy)
                        “Weather Around the World”
6^th Place:       Josuha Carino (Desert Oasis High School)
                        “My Love for Music and Skate”

High School: Level 3

1^st Place:        Danielle Lopez (Coronado High School)
                        “Appreciation for My Dad”
2^nd Place:       Anakin Contreras (Centennial High School)
                        “My Connection with Music”
3^rd Place:       Dana Heatherington (Desert Oasis High School)
                        “What Makes a Good Game?”
4^th Place:       Elena Herbert (Palo Verde High School)
                        “Japanese Food”
5^th Place:       Zariah Singleton (Las Vegas Academy)
                      “My Ordinary”
6^th Place:       Takino Morimoto (Desert Oasis High School)
                     “Skating a Road of Memories”         
Bichard Award:
                        Danielle Lopez (Coronado High School)
                        “Appreciation for my Dad”

High School: Level 4

1^st Place:        Sungryu Cho (Centennial High School)
                        “I Want to Marry Food”        
2^nd Place:       Elise Rivera (Spring Valley High School)
                        “Stress Makes diamonds”              
3^rd Place:       Lindsay Narcisa (Clark High School)
                        “Why I Want to Go to Japan”
4^th Place:       Clark Carver (Palo Verde High School)
                        “Japan’s Music”       
5^th Place:       Talaya Flicop (Las Vegas Academy)
                     “Such is Life”

University: Level 1

1^st Place:        Jaden Habovstak (College of South Nevada)
                        “Encounter”

University: Level 2

1^st Place:        Melikabella Shenouda (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
                        “Japanese Reiki”     
2^nd Place:       Shinhey Hwang (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
                        “My Story in the United States”
3^rd Place:       Ricardo Rodriguez (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
                        “The History of Japanese Mahjong”

Heritage Round:

1^st Place:        Sakura Gastaldo (Sig Rogich High School)
                        “The Akita Inu”
2^nd Place:       Yeana Park (Clark High School)
                        “What I’ve Found Since I’ve Lived in America”

Judges:

Ms. Rie Kusakiyo, Advisor for Educational Affairs, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
Mr. Mitsufumi Okabe, Publisher, Las Vegas Japan Times
Ms. Katsuyo Irvin, Manager, Grand Canyon/ Scenic Airlines/ Papillon Helicopter
Mr. Shoji Komiya, Manager, IACE Travel  
Ms. Mariko Galjour, Office Manager, National Broadband Services
Ms. Kurumi Kuroda, Vice President, Southern Nevada Japanese Teachers Association