Buffalo Grove claims three award-winners in sixth Chinese speech contest

Three Buffalo Grove High School students competed in the sixth Midwest Chinese Speech Contest at Northside College Preparatory High School, in Chicago, on March 22, with all three winning awards.

Bronze medals were won by freshman Lena Dassonville of Arlington Heights for Level I Chinese, and freshman Turtushig "Tushga" Gantogoo of Buffalo Grove for the Chinese Heritage category. Senior Suyenne Jabido of Wheeling was awarded a silver medal for Level III Chinese. Their teachers are Caili Chiu and Melissa Moy.

Hosted by the Midwest Chinese Teachers Alliance and sponsored by Chicago's Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and the Confucius Institute, the theme of this year's speech competition was "Chinese and Me." Students were asked to reflect on the value of learning languages and the impact it has had on their lives. The speeches were required to be delivered entirely in Mandarin Chinese and four minutes in length, without the use of notes, printed materials, or PowerPoint.