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Printing Press Operator Says Farewell to UIL
By Stephanie Ramirez | Friday, August 28, 2009 1:00 PM
After almost 30 years of service to the University Interscholastic League, Carol Finsrud will start the printing press for the last time on Aug. 31. After starting as a student employee in the mailroom in 1979, Finsrud became a full-time employee in 1981 running the printing press and has been a part of the UIL family ever since.
In July, Finsrud announced her retirement.
“I’m very blessed to be able to retire now,” Finsrud said. “I just want more time to expand on other things.”
Those “other things” range from focusing on her discus and shot put throwing to helping her husband with their gym in Lockhart.
Originally from Minneapolis, Finsrud moved to Texas in the fall of 1977 to attend the University of Texas at Austin on an athletic scholarship as one of the University’s first two female throwers for its Track and Field team.
“Texas was a sight unseen,” she said. “I came for better weather to pursue my passion so that I could practice all year round. I still haven’t left.”
Two Former Legislative Council Members Leave Their Mark of UIL
By Jeanne Acton | Monday, August 17, 2009 10:20 AM
The League lost two of its champion supporters this summer.
On July 22, Vernon Newsom, who retired as the Mansfield ISD Superintendent in June, died from injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident in South Dakota.
Then on Aug. 6 in Wichita Falls, Dan Owen, the former superintendent of Holliday ISD, lost his nine-month battle with cancer.
Both men served two four-year terms on the Legislative Council. Newsom resigned in June when he announced his retirement from Mansfield ISD, and Owen served on the Council from 1987 to 1995.
OAP Announcements for the New Year
By 0 | Friday, August 14, 2009 11:50 AM
New Enrollment Procedures
2009-2010 will be the first year for the new online entry system for OAP. Directors and principals will need to work in tandem to enroll, register their title and submit eligibility information.
Schools wishing to participate in OAP must enroll by midnight Oct. 1. The director will enroll the school via the Spring Meet Entry System. After that the principal will need to verify the enrollment via the Gateway System. Title Registration is required by Feb. 23 and does not require administrative verification.
No later than 10 days prior to your first contest, directors will need to submit eligibility, play and scenic information online. The principal will need to verify this also.
Instructions are available for download as a pdf or PowerPoint files from our Web site. Click on the Spring Meet Entry System button. Demonstrations will be scheduled for the Student Activities Conferences.
Do this as soon as possible and contact us regarding any bugs you may find. We hope this proves to be an efficient way to get this done.
New Fees
Please note that the reading/ set fees have gone up to $30 and that the library fee is now $7.
Student Activity Conferences Begin in Fall; Tech SAC Rescheduled for September
By Staff | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:22 PM
Every year, the League offers four Student Activity Conferences across the state. At the conferences academic coaches, coordinators and their students can receive first-hand knowledge on how to prepare and hone their skills for the academic contests.
Texas Committee Shines at CX Topic Selection Meeting
By Jana Riggins | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:20 PM
Texas took the lead at the 2009 Cross-Examination Debate Topic Selection meeting held August 7-9. Although the meeting was held in Grand Island, New York, our state had the largest participating delegation, with four coaches and one student authoring study reports for topic consideration and four additional Texas delegates active in Marshall subcommittees.
Each year, the CX Topic Selection meeting is sponsored by the National Federation of High School Associations and hosted by the local site state association. Representatives from states throughout the nation participate in the selection process to produce topics, five of which are tapped for a national balloting.
Preparing study reports were UIL representatives Rachell Grant from Hallsville ISD, Matthew Murrell from Round Rock McNeil HS, Kenneth Rohrback from Three Rivers and Noah Abolafia-Rosenweig, student at Smithson Valley High School, assisted by his coach, Drake Mikeska. Other delegates included Chad Flisowski, Gay Hollis, and Aaron Timmons. I served on the Wording Committee and as the official voting delegate for Texas. Dr. Rich Edwards from Baylor University served as consultant to the committee.
With Football Season Gearing Up, Coaches Need to Review Rules and Guidelines
By Cliff Odenwald | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:18 PM
This is an exciting time of year for football coaches, players and fans. Communities and school districts are gearing up for the start of a new football season.
Players and coaches have spent many hours of hard work, dedication and sweat in preparation for the 2009 football season. The actual preparation for this season began at the end of the 2008 season during the off season period and continued during the summer conditioning program. The beginning of the preseason football workouts lets us know we are just a few weeks away from the first kickoff of the season.
As we begin our preseason practices there are important guidelines to keep in mind as we battle the Texas heat:
1) Remember to follow the preseason protocol that is outlined in The Constitution & Contest Rules and in the UIL Football Manual.
Elite 100 Models What Academic Coaches Do Every Year
By Treva Dayton | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:12 PM
Welcome back to another school year! We hope it is a truly successful one, and that UIL participation provides wonderful challenges and educational experiences for you and your students. We, at the League, are especially excited, as we will be celebrating UIL’s 100th birthday. Our Centennial Celebration will include a variety of activities throughout the year, and our member schools, coaches, advisors, directors, coordinators, students and former competitors will all have the opportunity to participate. Please see our Centennial website at www.uil100.org for our updated archives, great photos and events and activities as they are posted.
We kicked off our celebration with the Elite 100 Student Leadership Conference on the UT Austin campus in June. The conference brought together 100 outstanding Texas high school students, who attended workshops on leadership, communication, conflict management, community service, self-analysis and working effectively with others. Students also participated in a community service project at one of three local school campuses and worked in teams to provide input about what they felt UIL should become in the future.
Journalism Skills Help Find Answers on Peanut Allergy Journey
By Jeanne Acton | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:05 PM
Our peanut journey started more than a year ago.
When my two-year-old son was diagnosed with the allergy, I went a little nuts. Yeah, I know — the play on words is a little much, but it is the truth.
You may remember I wrote a column documenting my slip into insanity and my transition back to reality. The bottom line was, his life-threatening diagnosis reminded me to keep life in perspective.
Since that column, I’ve had numerous calls and well wishes from journalism teachers across the state.
You really are an amazing support group.
Since I shared the initial diagnosis with you, I wanted to share the latest news. My little guy is almost free from his peanut/nut allergy.
It’s been a long journey and a somewhat expensive one but definitely well worth it.
A+ Academics: Reminders to Start the New Year
By David Trussell | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:03 PM
Not only do summers in Texas seem to get hotter every year, they also seem to get shorter, at least in terms of having a break between school years. It hasn’t been that long ago that we were wrapping up 2008-09, but here we are with a new school year already upon us. Following are some important items to keep in mind as you begin your preparations for this year’s A+ competitions.
Registration
Every school that participates in the A+ Program must register with the state office every year. This is how we keep our contact information current, and how we are able to send you a complimentary copy of the new A+ Handbook. You can find the online registration form at www.uil.utexas.edu/academics/aplus. With online registration, you can search for your school, view the information we have on file and send us only any changes that are needed (new UIL coordinator, new principal, etc.). You also receive an immediate confirmation that your form has been received, as well as a follow-up e-mail a few days later.
The deadline for participation registration is Nov. 15. If your school is in an ISD with at least one UIL member high school, there are no separate membership fees for A+ participation. If you do not have a member high school, contact the UIL office for membership information.
No Major Changes For Music This Year
By Richard Floyd | Thursday, August 13, 2009 11:59 AM
The UIL Music Program continues to operate in a relatively stable environment resulting in few rule changes for the 2009-2010 school year. In fact, only six rule modifications impact our music competitions. None of the rules are prohibitive and for the most part the rule changes are intended to create new options within the UIL music contest structure.
EXPANDED OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN MORE THAN ONE MUSIC CLASS. Beginning this year a student enrolled in multiple instrumental music classes may participate in the group representing each class provided the student is performing on a different instrument. For example a student who plays clarinet in the varsity band and wishes to learn to play saxophone and enrolls in a non-varsity band class to do so would be eligible to go to UIL contest with both groups. The same would be true for a string student enrolled in two string orchestra classes. [See Section 1102 (b)(1)(B)].
OPTION TO ZONE AREA MARCHING BAND CONTEST. By action of the Area Executive Committee and approval of the State Director of Music, the Area Marching Band Contest may be zoned to reduce travel for participating schools. A minimum of five bands must compete at each contest site, and one band per each five bands competing will be certified for advancement to the state contest. This accommodation has been made primarily for Area A because of the extensive travel conditions in the western part of the state. [See Section 1106 (j)(6)(A) and (B)]