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Council Approves New Pilot Contests for 2015-16
By Lauren Kelley, UIL intern | Monday, November 17, 2014 1:37 PM
At the Legislative Council meeting, UIL Deputy Director Dr. Jaime Harrison reviews the plans for the rewrite of the Constitution and Contest Rules.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
The University Interscholastic League will introduce three new pilots to Texas schools for the 2015-16 school year. At the October 2014 Legislative Council meeting, the council approved pilot contests in both academics and music.
To promote the development of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities, the academic staff proposed a pilot robotics competition, and the council unanimously approved it.
“Robotics incorporates numerous STEM components, including mechanical and software engineering, computer programming and mathematics,” Academic Director Dr. David Stevens said. “Participation in robotics fosters creativity and innovation, while teaching students to work collaboratively, and to think critically and analytically.”
59 Students Named to All-State Journalism Staff
By | Monday, September 15, 2014 10:03 AM
Fifty-nine students have been named to the 2013-14 All-State Journalism Staff. To qualify for the staff, students must have earned 50 points by participating and winning different journalism contests throughout the year. Students can earn points by participating in UIL invitational contests, UIL district, regional and state contests, as well as ILPC and similar type journalism contests.
All-State Journalism Staff
Athletics Launches New RCP System
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 12:00 PM
Change is hard.
Athletic Director Dr. Mark Cousins is experiencing this firsthand. He and his staff launched a new and improved online Rules Compliance Program system this summer, and while the move will be much better for coaches and administrators in the long run, it doesn’t change the fact that a new system needs an adjustment period.
To his staff who is fielding hundreds of calls and emails from coaches and administrators needing assistance, Cousins describes the new RCP system like this: “It’s short-term pain for long-term gain.”
The long-term gain will mean better communication, efficient training programs and a more interactive system.
Former HS Photographer Talks About his Experience in Liberia
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:21 AM
While on assignment in Liberia, John Moore wore protective gear to protect himself from getting the Ebola virus.
John Moore, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who now works for Getty Images, recently returned from Liberia where he documented the Ebola epidemic. In high school, Moore was an award-wining photographer, taking home just about every ILPC photo medal. In college, he shot for the Daily Texan, the University of Texas at Austin newspaper, and the Leaguer.
After returning from Liberia, Moore spoke with Jeanne Acton about his experiences in that country.
Moore will be a featured speaker at the ILPC Spring Convention held April 18-19 at UT-Austin. At the convention, he will present a session with his photos from Liberia.
Football State Championships return to AT&T Stadium
By Kate Y. Hector, Media Coordinator | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:18 AM
The 2014 University Interscholastic League Football State Championship games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
For only the second year, all 11-man and six-man football championship games will be played at the same location. Prior to last year, the Conference 1A six-man football championship games were played at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.
“Having all football championship games in one location truly makes for an amazing experience for the coaches, athletes and fans, and last year it lead to a Texas high school football attendance record,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “We are excited to return to AT&T Stadium and continue to improve on a world class event in the state of Texas.”
Basketball State Tournaments Move to San Antonio Alamodome
By Kate Y. Hector, Media Coordinator | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:17 AM
The 2015 University Interscholastic League Girls and Boys Basketball State Tournaments will be played at the San Antonio Alamodome, the League announced in July.
In June, UIL staff asked for guidance from the UIL Legislative Council as it related to the basketball state tournament venue. The council authorized staff to move the basketball state tournaments to San Antonio in 2015. The Alamodome has worked with UIL staff to finalize arrangements for the upcoming girls and boys basketball state tournaments.
“The decision to move the basketball state tournaments has been a difficult one,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “The tournaments have enjoyed a rich tradition in Austin, but in order to provide the best experience for student-athletes, coaches and fans, it is best to move the UIL basketball state tournaments to another excellent venue in Texas, the San Antonio Alamodome.”
Staff Accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
By Chris Schmidt, Public Affairs Representative | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:07 AM
UIL staff participates in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Photo by Brooke Rousch, UIL staff
Challenge accepted.
During the summer the UIL joined more than 28 million people that have participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The cultural phenomenon, which involves donating $100 to charity or dumping a bucket of ice water on your head and donating only $10, has helped raise more than $100 million for the ALS Association.
UIL staff was challenged by several individuals and organizations and answered the call by donating to ALS research in addition to making their own ice bucket challenge video. Several UIL staff members participated in the video, which can be seen on the UIL YouTube page (www.youtube.com/uiltexas).
Weblinks for Academic Coordinator Preparations
By Dr. David Stevens, Academic Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:02 AM
STUDENT ACTIVITIES CONFERENCES begin next week. Bring a busload of students and every coach you can round up. They are free and no registration is required. A tentative schedule will be posted two weeks before the conference. Handouts and presentations will be posted on the website as they are made available.
WTAMU Canyon-Sept 13
TAMUCC Corpus-Sept 27
UT Austin-Nov 1
UT Arlington-Nov 15
http://www.uiltexas.org/academics/student-activity-conferences
Speaking Events Continue to Evolve and Grow
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 10:37 AM
It’s the dawn of a new day, a new school year and I hope you are as excited as I am to begin the journey of this new competition year! The academic department at UIL is always seeking ways to bring growth and progress to our program, so my column this month is full of important changes and updates in every speaking event. Indulge in what will seem like a potpourri bulletin board.
The biggest news in Cross-Examination Debate is the confirmation of our site and location for the CX Debate State Tournament. You may have noticed on our original tentative calendar that two weeks were marked for state debate with a “TBD” notification. That is because for some time now, I have been exploring the possibility of alternative sites. This summer, I notified all debate coaches registered in the UIL speech coach database of our decision that, for 2015, the state debate tournament will remain at UT-Austin and will be hosted during the week of March 16 – 21.
Introduction to the CX Debate Oceans Topic: Time to Dive In
By Noah Recker, La Vernia High School | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 10:35 AM
Author: Noah Recker, Debate coach at La Vernia High School and UIL representative to the NFHS National CX Debate Topic Selection Committee who authored the study report over Oceans. Noah’s paper developed into the resolution which debaters throughout the nation will be debating during the 2014-2015 school year: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military exploration and/or development of the Earth's oceans.
When asked to write for the National CX Debate Topic Selection Committee, I had some nervous trepidation. It felt like a huge weight had been put on my shoulders. I knew what I wanted in a topic and I hoped that my topic paper could convey those wants and needs. Across the state, I continuously heard coaches complain about the changing nature of CX debate and how it is getting tougher and tougher to recruit high school students into the event. It was time to create some waves with my topic paper, and I eventually settled on oceans. The breadth of the topic can help novices explore their imaginations with topic ideas and senior debaters can really dive into a wide range of research opportunities.