H-ton Duo Wins Japan Center Essay Contest Awards
Huntington High School juniors Charles Beers and Daniella Schoen have earned awards in Stony Brook University’s ninth annual Japan Center essay contest. The pair will be honored at the Charles B. Wang Center on Sunday (April 6) for their exceptional written works.
Essayists were asked to “discuss one or more aspects of Japan, including art, culture, tradition, values, philosophy, history, society, politics, business and technology in relation to their personal views, experiences and/or future goals.
Mr. Beers captured second place honors in the contest, which drew 271 entries from several dozen metropolitan area high schools and colleges. Ms. Schoen was one of five high school Merit Award winners in the competition, which was sponsored by Canon USA.
Huntington social studies teacher Camille Tedeschi has encouraged her past and present students to participate in the essay contest for many years. Ms. Tedeschi has visited Japan several times and is well-known to Stony Brook Japan Center officials.
Mr. Beers garnered runner-up recognition for his essay, Effortless Grace: A Hero in Two Hemispheres about the Major League Baseball star Ichiro Suzuki. The second place finish netted the teenager a $1,500 award stipend along with a new Canon camera.
“The Stony Brook Japan Essay contest began as a requirement for Ms. Tedeschi’s AP World History class last year and I was thrilled to have my piece earn Merit recognition,” he said. “This year, I submitted another piece because of Ms. Tedeschi’s encouragement. I never thought I could do so well in this competition two years in a row. My second place finish is a direct result of her confidence in me. I can’t thank her enough and I hope that our Japanese adventures continue in the future!”
Ms. Schoen was celebrated for her essay, Life’s Beautiful Tragedy about a visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC and an encounter she had there with an older Japanese gentleman “who forever changed my life,” she said. The teenager will be presented with a $200 cash award for her outstanding work.
“After reaching the semi-finals in the competition last year, I was determined to write an even better essay this year in hopes this time I would receive an award,” Ms. Schoen said. “Of course, none of this would have even been possible in the first place if it weren’t for Ms. Tedeschi. She is definitely one of my favorite teachers and has made learning social studies a fun and exciting experience. These awards are a true reflection on how incredible of a teacher she truly is.”
Nine other gifted Huntington students reached the semi-final round of the Japan Center’s essay contest. The group includes Michaela Carnesi, Elizabeth Corrao, Grace Curran, Haley Drace, Anjali Kapur, Amanda LoScalzo, Miranda Nykolyn, Isabella Scarpati and Donald Stewart.
“What I loved about writing for this contest was how open the topic was,” Ms. Drace said. “Although it was hard to just pick one topic, once I zeroed it down it was fairly simple. My essay was about Japanese woodblock printing and I focused mainly on “The Great Wave.” I related it to when I took art classes with Mrs. [Kristin] Singer. We did a project on block printing, which was a great experience. I was also able to connect it to the Japanese art form. I worked on the essay in class and also brought it home to make revisions. I have to thank Ms. Tedeschi because I would not have entered this writing competition without her encouragement.”
Sunday’s awards ceremony will include Stony Brook University officials, Canon USA executives and members of the Japanese consulate.