Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School Junior Paula Andrade has won first place in the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI) Long Island Chapter Italian Poetry Contest. Paula won the contest with her recitation of the poem Il Colore de Mestieri (The Color of Professions) by the famed children’s author, Gianna Rodari.

Each year, Italian language students at POBJFKHS take part in the AATI competition, which requires them to memorize an Italian poem by heart and perform it in front of a judging committee. Their performances are judged against those of Italian language students from across Long Island.