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Announcement
26th Annual Midwestern Japanese Language Speech Contest
On March 24th 2012, the Indiana Academy had two winners at the 26th Annual Japanese Language Speech Contest at the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago. The contest started with the opening remark by the Consul General of Japan at 9:30 am and ended at 4:30pm.
In February ten finalists had already been selected on the basis of the recorded speeches sent to the Consulate and on March 5th the official invitations to compete in Chicago were sent to them. The winners then had to memorize their speeches to deliver in front of the audience and be ready for the question and answer session which immediately follows after the delivery of the speech all conducted in the Japanese language.
The final contest was very tight as usual with wonderful and sometimes very moving speeches delivered by students from all over the ten Midwestern states. The results were as follows.
In the category of high school students with up to 3 years of instruction,
Gina Kang, an Academy senior won 5th Place and the title of her speech was "To Become Successful in Life".
In the category of high school students up to 4 years of instruction and 1st year college students,
Emily Mclaren, an Academy senior won 6th Place, and the title of her speech was "Choices in Life".
Gina and Emily were the 42nd and 43rd Academy students who have been honored to take part in this final contest in Chicago over the 16 years.
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Message from the President of AITJ, January 2012 Welcome to the website of the Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese (AITJ). Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to everyone that helped make 2011 a very successful year for AITJ. Valparaiso University hosted the Japanese Olympiad of Indiana (JOI) last February. Almost fifty teams representing fifteen schools from all around Indiana tested their knowledge of Japanese language and culture in a friendly competition while also enjoying numerous cultural activities and displays. The next JOI will take place at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana on February 25, 2012. It would be great to have even more schools participate this year. In the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, AITJ members led and assisted with numerous fundraising events and campaigns that collectively contributed thousands of dollars to emergency relief and recovery efforts. It will take many years for Tohoku to recover from the disaster. I hope we can continue to help by contributing to psychological support for the victims and promoting tourism in the region. In April Indiana University’s East Asian Studies Center hosted the Advocacy and Articulation in Japanese Language Education workshop for K-16 teachers. Lean economic times have brought pressure upon many foreign language programs. As we work together to promote and strengthen our programs, we are steadfastly confident that what we teach helps prepare both our students and America for the future. In October there was a tremendous selection of Japanese sessions at the 2011 Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association Conference in Indianapolis. We are truly blessed to have so many outstanding secondary and collegiate teachers active in AITJ. Regular attendance by Japanese teachers from outside of Indiana is a testament to the quality of the professional development materials and ideas shared by our members. I look forward to seeing everyone again and hopefully meeting many new members at the 2012 IFLTA Conference. Allen Kidd,
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