Shorewood student to compete in National Japanese Speech Contest

Nolan Bunes shows his first prize certificate.
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Nolan Bunes, a senior at Shorewood High School, will compete in the National Japanese Speech Contest held in Los Angeles on May 28. 

He was selected to be one of 15 top contestants in the United States after winning first prize in the Washington State Japanese Speech Contest held in March. For first prize, he received an all-expense paid one-week trip to Kobe, Japan. Nolan was also accepted to International Christian University in Tokyo.

"He is an exceptional language learner and we are all proud of his accomplishments," said Etsuko Kimura, Japanese teacher at Shorewood.

Shorecrest 3rd and 4th-year students in Japanese placed first in the state team event this year. First and second-year students earned 3rd place.

"We are honored for this was the first time that one school placed in every division," said Sachiko Smith, Japanese teacher at Shorecrest.