World Language and ESL students from Columbia High School and Maplewood Middle School competed in the 33rd Annual Orlando Saa Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Contest at William Paterson University on Thursday, May 19, 2016. Approximately 900 students from more than 60 schools and school districts throughout New Jersey came together to recite authentic poems they had memorized in Chinese, ESL, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, and Spanish. Judges evaluated students for delivery, pronunciation, intonation and poise.
Two Columbia High School students were awarded trophies for their recitations: Daniela Maquera received the first place trophy in the Latin Beginner category and Wigenlors Altenor was awarded third place in the ESL Intermediate category.
The complete list of participants from South Orange Maplewood is as follows:
Columbia High School
Marc Alexandre – ESL Beginner
Melissa Alexis – French Intermediate
*Wigenlors Altenor – ESL Intermediate (won a 3rd place trophy in his competition category)
Julia Cataneo- Italian Intermediate
Edouard Duvilaire – ESL Advanced
Samori Etienne – French Advanced
Isabel Farrell – Italian Beginner
Hikaru Hayakawa- Spanish Intermediate
Connie Labat – Latin Intermediate
*Daniela Maquera – Latin Beginner (won a 1st place trophy in her competition category)
Andrea Ramirez, – Spanish Native
Schmide Price – French Native
Maplewood Middle School
Madison Golodner – Spanish Beginner
Naomi Gordon – Spanish Intermediate
Jennica Pruss – ESL Intermediate
Alexa Valenzuela – Spanish Native
