Kumon President Hosts Award Ceremony at New Jersey Headquarters for
National Poetry Contest Winners
TEANECK, N.J. (August 28, 2012) – Kumon North America president, Akira Hamanaka, welcomed the grand-prize winners of Kumon’s first ever national poetry contest to the company’s headquarters in Teaneck, NJ. The students, whose poems were selected from more than 500 poetry submissions, were flown to New York from Toronto, Seattle, Tampa and Orlando. Their all-expense paid trip included an award ceremony and private lunch with the president, tour of the Kumon Headquarters and visit to the American Museum of Natural History on August 7.
(Caption: Grand prize winners Heta Patel, Aishi Singh, Evelyn Casne and Noah Rubino, with Kumon North America President, Akira Hamanaka.)
“Everything we do here at Kumon is for one purpose, our students, so it was a pleasure to personally congratulate our young poets,” said president of Kumon North America, Akira Hamanaka. “The six winning poems, selected from more than 500 submissions, conveyed an extraordinary level of creativity and enthusiasm. Our students, and the hard work and dedication they put into their studies, is what motivates our staff and makes our jobs so rewarding.”
Grand Prize Winners:
- Noah Rubino, 4 (Orlando, FL)
- Aishi Singh, 5 (Ontario, Canada)
- Evelyn Kelly, 7 (Seattle, WA)
- Arsh Goyal, 8 (Dublin, California)
- Heta Patel, 12 (Tampa, FL)
- Noel Angelo Lava, 13 (Lathrop, California)
The Kumon Poetry Challenge, the company’s first national poetry contest, was launched on Facebook in April to celebrate the month of Earth Day. Parents across North America were invited to submit original poems written by their children, 18 and under. The six students whose poems received the most votes were awarded an all-expense-paid trip to New York City with two guests, and a $500 cash prize awarded by Mr. Hamanaka at the Kumon Headquarters.
About Kumon Math and Reading Centers
Kumon [Koo-mon], founded in Japan in 1958, is the world’s largest after-school math and reading enrichment program. The learning method uses an individualized approach that helps children develop math and reading skills, confidence, concentration and better study skills through daily practice. Kumon has 26,000 centers in 47 countries and more than four million students studying worldwide. To learn more visit www.kumon.com or join Kumon’s parent community www.facebook.com/Kumon & www.twitter.com/KumonNAmerica