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Shepherd HS Junior Gets Her Golden Ticket and Competes in American Idol
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:51 AM
Amber Holcomb, a junior at Shepherd High School, made it to Hollywood to compete in American Idol. Holcomb runs track and field at her high school.
Photo by Photo courtesy of Amber Holcomb
"Congratulations, you’re going to Hollywood!"
For the past decade, aspiring pop divas and rock stars have longed to hear that phrase because it means they have aced their first audition on their way to becoming the next American Idol. On the latest season of the singing competition, Amber Holcomb, a junior at Shepherd High School, heard those very words.
“I was so excited I didn’t know what to do,” Holcomb said. “I’ve been wanting to audition [for American Idol] ever since I was probably about 13 or 14.”
UIL Lone Star Cup Race Reaches Halfway Point
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:49 AM
The latest update to the UIL Lone Star Cup standings was posted on March 16 and at the midway point in the season only a few points separate the leaders in each conference. The current standings include State and Area Marching Band, Team Tennis, Cross Country, Volleyball, Football, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling and Basketball.
The UIL Lone Star Cup is awarded annually to five high schools, one in each of the five UIL classifications (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A), based on their team performance in district and state championships. The winning schools in each classification will receive the UIL Lone Star Cup trophy and a $1,000 scholarship, also presented by the UIL.
New Academic Director Welcomes the New Opportunity
By David Stevens, Academic Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:36 AM
Starting the new position as the Director of Academics the first week of District Meets would seem foolish. It may be, but I have yet to know. It has been great corresponding with so many teachers and administrators across the state. I also want to offer a public thanks to the UIL Academic staff. They have been extremely helpful in so many ways in this transition. We have a state champion academic team in the UIL office, and it is my privilege to join them.
One of the greatest opportunities about being a student in UIL Academic contests is the opportunity for scholarships. TILF scholarship applications will be available starting April 1. Any student who has competed at the State Meet in Academics at any time during his/her high school career is eligible to apply. Each year TILF gives more than $1 million in scholarships to attend Texas colleges and universities. See the link on the UIL website for more information.
Debate: A Family Affair
By Trudy Richards, Speech and Debate | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:30 AM
Eleanor and coach Russell Kirkscey from Blanco High School. Coach Kristi Hodgkiss and Carver from North Lamar High School. Coach Angela Teachout and Hunter Hall from Farwell and Tra Hall from Munday High School.
Each year, several students coached by their parents make it to the CX State Meet. Their experience is in some ways much like that of their peers. They work hard and put in plenty of time and effort hoping to make it to finals. But in other ways, their experience is very different.
Eleanor Kirkscey vividly remembers her introduction to debate when she was so young she rode in her car seat on the bus to overnight tournaments with her father Russell Kirkscey of Blanco High School.
“I knew I had her hooked when, as a six-year-old, she listened to one of my Super Conference lectures and took notes,” Russell Kirkscey said.
CX Debaters End Season with Capitol Experience
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:19 AM
State Representative Mark Strama, a member of the House Education Committee, medals a student at the CX State Meet. Rep. Strama spoke to the students about the impact debate had on his life.
Photo by David Trussell
Our two Cross-Examination Debate State Meets in mid-March could not have been more exciting! It was the 102nd state debate tournament hosted by the League and for the first time ever, semi-final and final rounds in all conferences were debated at the Texas State Capitol.
I had been looking for a way to make the championship rounds more celebratory. Debaters do not have a defined season like sports, so they spend an entire year researching a resolution selected by a national balloting process. On any given topic area, there could be 75-100 different cases that demand maintaining the most current, up-to-date evidence files.
Letter from a Theatre Director’s Dad Hits Homes
By Luis Muñoz, Theatre Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:14 AM
Thanks to all who participated in the zone and district contests. 1216 schools entered the contest in October. A few fell by the wayside due to eligibility and other factors. It has been an interesting time with the implementation of several new rules. Contest Managers have had to implement the time warnings and deal with the new music logs. Directors have had to work with contest managers and their casts to make sure these changes were effectively implemented. There’s been a few bumps in the road but those should be leveled for smooth sailing as we enter the second year of their use.
Those of you who have advanced to area contests do not need to do anything in the Spring Meet Entry System. If you have adds or substitutions, please follow the procedures on page 12 of the Handbook for One-Act Play, 19th ed. Make sure we get those ASAP since the state office enters the changes. PLEASE use the form found in the current handbook. If you have made changes to your play that involve standards issues, make sure that your principal sees the changes and signs a new Standards Compliance Form. We need those for our files.
OAP State Meet Panelists 2012
By | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:11 AM
L-R -- Front Row – Jerry Ivins, San Jacinto College - 1A; Perry Crafton, Austin Community College - 4A; Marion Castleberry - 1A, Baylor University; Cathy Huvar, Katy ISD - 3A; Paula Rodriguez, San Antonio College - 3A; Ezequiel Morgan, Houston - 4A
L-R – Back Row – Carrie Klypchak, Texas A&M – Commerce - 2A; Travis Springfield, HSPVA - 2A; Kelly Russell, Texas A&M – Corpus Christ - 2Ai; Royal Brantley, West Texas A&M – Canyon - 1A; R. Scott Allen, HSPVA - 3A; Robin Robinson, Grayson Community College - 5A; Charles Falcon, San Antonio College – 5A
Not Available for Photo: Jim Mammarella, San Antonio College - 4A and Kim Frederick, Del Mar College - 5A
Click "MORE" to enlarge the photo of the One-Act Play State Meet Panelist for 2012.
Finding the Voice in Every Student
By Jeanne Acton, UIL Journalism Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:10 AM
My 7-year-old son wants to be a writer.
He told me this the other day.
“I like telling stories, mommy,” he said as we were driving home from school. That day at school, he had spent his afternoon crafting a story about playing Frisbee golf with his dad over spring break."
As you can probably guess, my face beamed with pride.
10 Ways Being a Theatre Major Prepared Me for Success
By Tom Vanderwell | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:08 AM
(This article was reprinted with permission from Tom Vanderwell. The article first appeared on his blog at: http://tomvanderwell.wordpress.com/.)
I have a confession to make. I was a theatre major in college (yes, complete with the snooty but appropriate ”re” spelling). I’ll wait for you to stop snickering. Judson University (it was Judson College when I attended), the small liberal arts college outside of Chicago labeled the major course of studies as “Communication Arts” which is what I tend to put on resumes and bios because I realize that “theatre major” tends to elicit thoughts such as “Do you want fries with that?”
When I chose my major, I had no pipe dreams about becoming a professional actor. I did it because more than one wise adult had advised me that my actual major in college would have less impact on my eventual job search than having the actual degree. “Study what you love” I was told, “not what you think will get you a job.” I listened for once and chose theatre because I’d done it all through my secondary education, I had relative success doing it and because I simply loved being a part of it. Fortunately, my parents gave me absolutely no grief about my choice (unlike most of my fellow majors. Thanks mom and dad!)
Track Preview and Changes for 2012-13 Cross Country and Track
By Traci Neely, Assistant Athletic Director | Friday, March 30, 2012 11:05 AM
Track & Field
Newly revised forms are now available on the track page of the UIL website: www.uiltexas.org/track. Any championship meet administrator may use the UIL forms, which are designed as front and back pages or top half and bottom half pages that can be copied and cut appropriately.
The rules and guidelines section also has useful information including state association adoptions to the National Federation of High School Track and Field rules, a short summary of uniform requirements, a quick study of tie-breaking procedures for field events and other useful documents for coaches and athletic directors.