Huntington Students Honored at SBU Wang Center
Huntington High School sophomores Madison Jaye LoFaso and Charles Beers were honored at Stony Brook University's Charles B. Wang Center last weekend for award winning essays on Japan.
Ms. LoFaso earned first place in the 8th annual Japan Center essay competition. Mr. Beers won one of four Merit Awards in the contest, which was sponsored by Canon USA. The competition drew 199 entries from 32 metropolitan area high schools and colleges.
"I have been a teacher for 11 years and have often been inspired, but this past Saturday I attended an awards ceremony that was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever been at," said Huntington teacher Camille Tedeschi, who has both students in her Advanced Placement World History class.
Mr. LoFaso was honored for her work, No Stroll in the Park about the John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden in Mill Neck. Mr. Beers garnered recognition for his essay, Putting Things into Perspective: Lessons from the Far East.
The awards ceremony was a festive affair, with officials from Stony Brook, Canon and the Japanese consulate on hand, along with other student honorees, their teachers, parents and family members.
"What an amazing day,"Ms. LoFaso said. "Though nervous to read my essay, I was excited. The ceremony was beautiful, interesting and a great experience. I felt honored to be there and to meet the ambassador of Japan. Every aspect of the day was perfect. Listening to other essays and the live Japanese music were very special moments. I will remember this experience for a very, very long time."
Ms. LoFaso was presented with a $3,000 award stipend and a Canon camera. Mr. Beers' earned a $200 prize. Following the award ceremony, a reception was held in the Wang Center's theater lobby. It included several Japanese music performances.
"It was very interesting to find the ways how Japan has influenced my life and the lives of others," Mr. Beers said. "Ms. Tedeschi has always persuaded us to think outside the box during her global history classes and this essay competition was no exception. I am excited that my work was selected in this prestigious contest and hope that this success will continue in the future."
Ms. LoFaso, Mr. Beers and Ms. Tedeschi have been invited to Japanese Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki's official residence in Manhattan for a formal lunch meeting on Saturday, May 25.
"The ceremony was organized, thoughtful, personal and professional," Ms. Tedeschi said. "The speakers chose words that reached the audience and in particular myself. The presenters were so proud and acknowledged how impressed they were with what the students had to say about the Japanese culture and how each one is such a tolerable and understanding individual. This is just one of many goals I have for my students, but recognizing the world around them and appreciating what it has to offer is essential to being a success in our global world."
Huntington students Santiago Alzate, Kaitlin Dayton and John Reilly advanced to the finals in the essay competition. Hanna Murphy and Daniella Schoen reached the semi-finals.
"The comments that the program coordinators made about our students and their work touched my heart," Ms. Tedeschi said. "The Canon executive told me that the essay written by Maddie brought tears to his eyes. He was so impressed with her writing and thoughts. I love Maddie as a student and I was so amazed and proud to be her teacher even more at that particular moment. When she presented her essay, she first thanked me in front of the whole crowd and brought tears to my eyes at that moment for her appreciation of what I do every day. I was honored to be in attendance along with both of my students and their families. I felt proud that my students had placed in the competition and even prouder that they were gracious and appreciative of all of the talented students they were with at the ceremony. Charles attended the ceremony with his parents and they were so loving and supportive of his accomplishments. An adorable thing one of the parents told me was that Maddie and Charles have been in school together since kindergarten."
Ms. Tedeschi has visited Japan many times and she said the ceremony and the hosts of the event made her feel at home and as she was in Japan. "I was able to use my Japanese language, distribute my business cards in true Japanese fashion and the Canon executive's father was born in the small town of Wakayama where I did one of my homestays in 2010 with the Japan Society," she said. "It was all so exciting and it only made me want to continue on this path of success with my students."