A competition for Japanese language students produced two local winners. University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center, in collaboration with Pitt's Japanese Speaking Society and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, held the contest March 5 in Pittsburgh. Seventy-two students from eight local high schools participated. Students competed on five different levels.

Winners were:

Hannah Hetrick of Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School won the poster-session portion of the contest, under the instruction of Dixie Lipnichan.

Joshua Burd, a South Butler School District student under the instruction of Butler School District's Masami Schaper, tied for first place in the intermediate portion of the contest.

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Paul Dingfelder of West Sunbury was selected for membership in the National Society of High School Scholars.The Society recognizes top scholars and invites only those students who have achieved superior academic excellence.Dingfelder is a student at Moniteau High School.———

Amy Chen and

April Chen, both of Evans City, accepted membership in Golden Key International Honor Society and were honored at an induction ceremony at Duquesne University.Golden Key International Honor Society is a collegiate honor society with nearly 2 million members and more than 375 chapters at colleges and universities in seven countries. Membership is by invitation only to students in all fields of study.———Two students will represent Butler County at the state-level Geographic Bee on April 9.

Nicholas E. Romano, a sixth grade student at Mars Centennial School, and

Swata K. Alagar, a home-schooled fifth grade student from Zelienople, are among the 101 students who qualified for the competition at Penn State.The bee is organized by the National Geographic Society and tests students' knowledge of world people and places.The winner of the state bee will receive $100 and a trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals May 25 and 26.———The Westminster College Symphonic Band presented a midwinter concert March 19 in Orr Auditorium.Local students include:Butler:

Aaron McAfee, Heather Schroeder, Amy WolenskiSaxonburg:

Laura Gundlach Valencia:

Lauren GaynordProspect:

Alexander Weil———Four students at Butler Junior High School qualified for national competition in LINGUISTIKS, a language contest. The national competition is the third week of April in Cincinnati.The qualifying students are Megan Paul, Michael Herschl, Austin Gagliardi and

Rachel Wigton.———Students from Butler School District placed first at the regional meeting of Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science in February at Slippery Rock University. They have qualified for state competition May 16 to 18 at Penn State.The students are

Annika Schul, Gracie Ryan, Lake Sankey, Savanah Craig, Elizabeth Haughey, Austin Gagliardi, Adam Stock, Natalie Smith, Olivia Pascazi, Amelia Bishop, Andrew Stock, Tori Sawhney, Elizabeth LeMay, Jacob Bellis, Kayla Greygor, Amanda Geither, Sarah Bishop, Maci Williams, Kathryn Spingola, Patrick Fitz, Sarah Horner and

Lizzy Spingola.Additionally, Bishop received a $250 cash award from the Butler County Mental Health Agency.———

Anna Bitting of Cabot was chosen to participate in an international research collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation.Bitting is a junior at Allegheny College majoring in chemistry and minoring in history.Bitting and three other students will spend six weeks this summer at the Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest. They will work with scientists, students and technicians from Hungary and other European countries.They will learn about experimental techniques regarding the physical properties of liquid crystals.Bitting also will attend the International Liquid Crystal Conference in Krakow, Poland.A graduate of Knoch High School and St. Luke Lutheran School, she is the daughter of John and Beth Bitting of Cabot.