They Came, They Saw, They Conquered some Bellissima Poetry! Two Smithtown High School East students were awarded in an Island-wide Italian Poetry Contest this past Friday. On April 8th, 2016, Alessandro Tartamella and Kessandra Chisholm competed against hudreds of Students from districts across Long Island in the annual American Association of Teachers of Italian poetry contest at SUNY Old Westbury.
Alessandro Tartamella was awarded third place, in the level 5 category. Kessandra Chisholm received an honorable mention for her poem in the same level. Both Students recited their poems for WHRU 88.7 FM, an Italian radio station at Hofstra University, the following day.
The American Association of Teachers of Italian Long Island Chapter, encorages students to appreciate the Italian language and culture throughout school districts in Nassau and Suffolk County. In addition to providing a teacher’s Network for Italian Language Studies, the organization provides scholoarship opportunities and special events for Student incentives. Founded on a national in 1924, The American Association of Teachers of Italian has grown to have approximately 1500 members throughout North America.