The third annual Turkish Olympiad, sponsored by Raindrop Turkish House, was held in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where over 300 finalists from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas and Mississippi gathered to compete.
03 March 2009 Tuesday
Cavit Karabağ HOUSTON- In total, 2,500 students who chose Turkish as their elective language course in school or took Turkish lessons at Turkish culture centers had participated in the first elimination round. Students who moved on to the finals competed in seven categories, including poetry and talent contests. Interest towards the Turkish language has increased in the US as the government has supported Turkish language classes and has provided grants for studying the language.
Harris Country Judge Ed Emmett was just one of the many notable political, academic, cultural and media figures in Texas who attended the event. Judge Emmett, who spoke during the awards ceremony, said Houston was an international city and that cultural and educational activities such as the Turkish Olympiad accelerated social integration. He also expressed satisfaction in being given the opportunity to present the winners their awards.
The first place winner in the art category was Nehan Shujaat from Fort Worth, Texas; Sheenna Flemins from Lubbock, Texas, won first place in the language contest for fourth and fifth graders; Joanna Mendoza from El Paso, Texas, won first place in the language contest for sixth through 12th graders; Junelyn Gamao from San Antonio, Texas, won first place in poetry; Ebyln Pineda from Houston won first place in the singing contest; and a folk dance group from Dallas won first place in the folk dance contest.
Guests were surprised when Fox TV news anchors Mike Barajas and Melissa Wilson arrived at the event in traditional Turkish clothing. ABC, NBC and FOX TV covered the event, which hosted more than 2,500 guests. (TodaysZaman)
Bir yanıt yazın