Academics News
Page 9 of 18 pages ‹ First < 7 8 9 10 11 > Last ›
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.
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!)
Dr. David Stevens Named New Academic Director
By Jeanne Acton, UIL Journalism Director | Wednesday, February 22, 2012 3:26 PM
Dr. David Stevens
The new UIL Academic Director, Dr. David Stevens, wants academic coordinators and coaches to know he’s been in their shoes.
“I’ve been stuck on the online entry system – trying to figure out how it works,” he said. “I’ve forgotten my UTEID. I’ve missed the deadline to set up our UIL meet. I know what they are going through.”
As a former teacher, academic coordinator, Spring Meet chair and school administrator, Stevens has been in the chaos and understands how hard it all can be.
“I know teachers are at school from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for all of their classes, and then after school all of the extra stuff, like UIL, comes in,” he said. “Teachers have the best intentions to make deadlines and fill out paperwork, but once they walk in through the school door, all these fires happen. They have to deal with real life.”
That’s where Stevens plans to step in.
Selection of Debate Topic Steeped in Research, not Randomness
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Tuesday, February 07, 2012 10:28 AM
Rebecca Meeks (in red) from Devine HS who was the Texas representative last year defends her paper before the National Wording Committee.
Photo by Jana Riggins
After a rigorous academic process extending more than one and a half years, the cross-examination debate topic for next season, 2012-2013, has been announced. The official topic is Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its transportation infrastructure investment in the United States.
Most people in the debate community are unaware of how resolutions are selected. When the topic goes public, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Where did that topic come from?” I promise, it wasn’t random or haphazard. The process for picking a policy debate topic the entire nation will debate for a complete school year is actually quite sophisticated and steeped in research and analysis. (It’s debate – of course it would be!)
Because all states use the topic, the National Federation of High School Associations coordinates the process. NFHS hosts an annual meeting that allows the debate community to gather to discuss potential topics. It is open to debate coaches, students and the representative from each state association.
A Letter to Theatre Students
By Luis Muñoz, Theatre Director | Tuesday, February 07, 2012 10:23 AM
Many of you have requested that we reprint this letter to our students from the March 2007 issue of The Leaguer. I have updated a few things but the message remains the same.
Dear Student,
I hope that you are having a wonderful time preparing for this year’s contest play. I can assure you that your director worked hard to find the right play and to choose the best cast members. Sometimes those choices are very hard and as theatre students we don’t always understand how and why certain casting decisions and crew assignments are made. Trust your director and make sure that you deliver. They have the best intentions. Sitting around for six weeks feeling bad about the role you were assigned never helps your ensemble. Neither does boasting about the lead. Accept what you are given with humble appreciation and make the most of what you get. Give it your all in rehearsal and performance. The play’s the thing!
Tips for Preparing for Computer Science Contest
By David Trussell, Assistant Academic Director | Tuesday, February 07, 2012 9:48 AM
Spring Meet district competitions are only about six weeks away, so plans should be well underway for your meet. For the Computer Science contest, here are several important reminders and items for consideration:
• Like many of the academic events, Computer Science includes individual and team components. A school must have three or four contestants to participate in the team component. It’s perfectly okay to enter only one or two contestants; in that case the contestant(s) would compete for individual honors only and take only the written exam.
• Computer Science is one event with two parts, a written exam and a hands-on programming test. The same contestants from a school participate in both parts. There are NOT separate entries for the written exam versus programming.