The annual poster and poetry contest sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) was held at Niles North on November 16. Students came from all over the Chicagoland area to recite poems, show off their artistic side and deliver speeches.

With a strong love for art, sophomore Juliana Livieri said, “This poster contest was a good opportunity for me to do what I love while also portraying a good message about learning a foreign language.” Her good intentions were rewarded and she won a grand prize with her poster of a girl leaning over a book that appeared to have icons representing aspects of Hispanic culture emerging from it.

The poster designs by freshman Sumona Banjeree, sophomore Jimmy Gonzalez Vicker, and juniors Aisha Khan, Rochelle Kropveld, Lizzie Phillips and Martyna Zukowska also proved to be award-winning.

Junior Karli Goldenberg won a first place award in the poetry section. Senior Ashley D’Costa also gained a first place award with her speech. For this contest, D’Costa randomly selected a topic from a hat for her speech and found the contest to be a valuable experience from dealing with the nerves of public speaking to the added challenge that it had to be done in a foreign language. “You can prove to colleges that those language classes you’re taking are actually doing you some good,” D’Costa said.

Other winning performances were done by freshman Cassie Corbes, sophomore Jimmy Gonzalez Vicker, juniors Priyanka Pahan, Sarah Stauber and Shamamah Khan, and senior Nooreen Khan.

Congratulations to all these Niles North winners and the future ones to come!