Eleven Butler High School students Friday will test their Japanese language mastery at the 21st Annual High School Japanese Speech Contest at the William Pitt Union on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

“It is a great opportunity for them to compete and meet students from other schools,” said Masami Schaper, Butler High School Japanese language teacher. “When they are waiting, they have so many opportunities to be exposed to the culture.”

The day, which is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature speech contests, broken into four levels, and a poster competition for nonlanguage students. There also will be Japanese cultural activities, including calligraphy, origami, Japanese games and more.

The speech competition's four levels are beginner, intermediate, advanced and advanced plus.

At the first level, beginners will give a self introduction. During the rest of the levels, competitors will prepare and deliver a speech where contestants “Imagine How Japanese Society will Change in the Next Ten Years.”

This year, Butler students will be competing either in levels one or two, said Schaper.

“They write down a composition according to their language level,” Schaper said. “They have to memorize it. They can't use notes.”

Students must research on their own time, Schaper said.

Students participate in the contest for the competition and the experience, Schaper said. It is a strictly extracurricular activity.

“Some of the students are very excited about the event,” Schaper said. “Some are nervous.”

It can be difficult, especially for students new to the language. But Schaper says her students do very well and she is proud of them.

“The students taking the language are enthusiastic and excited for the experience,” she said. “My students represent very well.”

Schaper has been going to this event with her students for years, with some of her students even taking first place in their level of competition.

In 2010, Joshua Burd, then a student of Schaper, won the intermediate level. The year before that, another one of her students, Jennifer Smith, took first place in the level-one category.

Smith went on to study Japanese after high school and later took a job in Japan teaching English.

She credits Schaper with encouraging her to continue her Japanese language studies after high school.

This year, eight schools and 92 students will compete at the event.

“This contest is the only opportunity in Western Pennsylvania for the students and teachers to test their language skills, interact with peers who share similar interests and goals, and have fun learning the culture of Japan.” Katsuko Shellhammer, educational outreach coordinator at Japanese-American Society of Pennsylvania, said in an e-mail.

“Grand prize is the electronic dictionary from the Consulate General of Japan in New York,” she said.

The JASP is an organization based in Western Pennsylvania that seeks to promote mutual understanding between Japan and the US.

“Language is the key to understand the culture,” Shellhammer said. “Learning Japanese language will open the door to explore Japan and the world.”

In 2012, the people of Butler made it clear they agreed.

That summer, after the school board voted to cut the high school Japanese program, parents and students gathered to sign a petition to keep the program in place.

Their “Save Japanese Class” movement was a success, and every year Butler High students have the chance to attend the High School Japanese Speech Contest, which is hosted by the Asian Studies Center, the University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh and the Japanese-American Society of Pennsylvania.