More than 300 students from area middle and high schools took part in the annual Shakespeare competition at Wingate University on Feb. 28.
Competitors recited one sonnet and one section of a play. Plaques were awarded to the top four finishers in the high school division, and the top six in the middle school division. Wingate scholarships of $1,000 were given to each of the four high school winners: Brian Garcia from Providence High, Katherine Murdock, above right, from Covenant Day, Danielle Hopkins, center, from Northwest School of the Arts and Brewington Rosenblatt, left, from Charlotte Christian. As the first-place winner, Brian also won an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, advancing to the National Shakespeare Competition.
The middle school winners were Alexa Arciero and Ryan Kapur from Jay M. Robinson, Troi Pryor from Community House, Khari Ishan Clary from Albemarle Road, and Aman Singh and Lauren Sims from Jay M. Robinson.
Memory Project
From reporter Derek Zhang's story in the East Mecklenburg Eagle:
Ten students from East Mecklenburg have volunteered to participate in a special art assignment, the Memory Project, in which they paint portraits of orphans across the world.
"They really become attached to their child," said May Winiarski, the project coordinator at East. "A lot of them say it's the eyes that really connect them."
Two of the students, seniors Kim Hoang and Jenny Espinola, are returning to do the Memory Project for their second year.
"Portrait drawing is my thing," said Hoang.
"I do it because I love seeing the videos of the little kids when they receive their pictures," said Jenny Espinola.
In the program, high school students create portraits that are then sent as gifts to the orphans. Other students participating this year are: Vivian Brinkley, Demitris Owens, Kevin Kahler, Touren Baseda, Catherine Nguyen, Jessica Stoeckel, Ally Pool and Hannah Norwood.
