Liberty and PCFC students win at Japanese competition

Congratulations and "yoku gambarimashita!"

Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus and Liberty High School both won trophies at the 23rd annual Washington State Japanese Language Speech and Skit Contest last week despite steep competition from 110 students representing 17 high school Japanese programs.

PCFC students Adam Chon, Alex Hu, Andie Uomoto, and Noel Vincent won first place in the first-year skit division. Liberty High students Hailey Haines, Khuyen Do, Zach Ishimitsu, and Leslie West won first place in the second-year skit division. In the highly competitive second-year speech division, Jamison Hoo of Liberty High School won third place for a flawlessly memorized speech about his family vacation last year.

Tammy Haldeman teaches the PCFC students and Paula Murakami is Liberty's Janapese language teacher.

Hyogo Business & Cultural Center and Consulate General of Japan, Seattle coordinates and sponsors the annual contest. The fun and challenging contest gives students an opportunity to use their language skills to communicate important ideas and thought, and is open to Washington State high school students studying Japanese as a foreign language. The panel of judges consists of representatives from the Consul-General of Japan, local Japanese businesses and Japanese educators.