Students and faculty from High Tech High School achieved an unprecedented sweeping victory at the annual Student Haiku Contest Awards Ceremony, hosted at the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York City. This year, there were approximately 250 entries in the English division, nearly 700 in the Japanese division, about 100 in French, over 30 in German, over 20 in Italian, and 20 in Spanish.
The distinguished judges—John Stevenson (English), Popona Tsukino (Japanese), Luce Pelletier (French), Eleonore Nickolay (German), Marco Fraticelli (Italian), and George Swede (Spanish)—reviewed submissions across the Elementary, Middle School, High School, Teacher, and College categories (English, French, and Japanese) a few weeks ago.
High Tech dominated the awards, claiming first, second, and third places, alongside an honorable mention, while also capturing the top prize in the educators’ category.
The annual event is co-organized by the Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese (NECTJ) and supported by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, but beginning in 2026, the Movement for Language and Culture (MLC) formally assumed full responsibility for its administration. This is a celebration of the minimalist art of haiku poetry across multiple linguistic divisions, including English, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Italian.
In a historic showcase of creative writing and linguistic talent, High Tech students completely cleared the podium in their division. The honors awarded include:
- 1st Place: Samirah Riverol Mijares (Gr. 9)
- 2nd Place: Milan Zhu (Gr. 11)
- 3rd Place:Iria Viota Garcia (Gr. 9)
- Honorable Mention: Benjamin La (Gr.11), Jeremy Barillas (Gr. 11)
Adding to the school's historic day, World Languages instructor Dr. Laje Gashi was awarded First Prize in the Teacher Division. "We are incredibly proud of our students for their dedication to the craft of writing and their ability to express profound cultural and personal insights through the precise framework of haiku," said Dr. Gashi. "To see our school sweep the podium on an international stage at UNIS is a testament to the hard work, passion, and artistic brilliance thriving within our classrooms."
High Tech congratulates all of the winning student poets and faculty for their historic achievements and for beautifully representing the community on this prestigious stage.
