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2013 TILF Banquet Slideshow
By | Friday, March 01, 2013 1:18 PM
On Feb. 26, the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation held its annual 2013 Celebration of Academic Excellence Banquet honoring TILF scholarship recipients attending the University of Texas at Austin. The banquet was held at the Alumni Center on the University of Texas campus. TILF, the UIL scholarship foundation, awarded more than $1 million in scholarships last year. TILF donors, UT scholarship recipients and League staff attended the banquet where students had the opportunity to thank their donors and talk about the impact UIL had on their lives.
Todd Named Yearbook Teacher of the Year
By Rhonda Moore, TAJE Executive Director | Friday, March 01, 2013 12:11 PM
After she is presented the Yearbook Teacher of the Year Award, Cindy Todd embraces H.L. Hall at Westlake High School.
Photo by David Oliver, Westlake High School
Cindy Todd thought she was going to a faculty meeting during a staff workday to talk about an upcoming activities fair. When she got to the meeting, her principal said they were going to celebrate some accomplishments and recognize one of the teachers. Then she saw H.L. Hall.
“The minute he introduced H.L. Hall, I knew what was happening,” Todd said. “I couldn’t believe it. I turned to Deanne [Brown, newspaper adviser], who was in on it all along, and asked her if it was really happening. And, of course, I started crying.”
Todd, yearbook adviser at Westlake High School in Austin, was named the H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year Jan. 7. She will be officially honored at the Saturday Advisers Luncheon at the JEA/NSPA convention in San Francisco in April. In addition to a plaque, she will receive $1,000 for her program and $1,000 for herself.
Committees Guide Music Contests
By Richard Floyd, Music Director | Friday, March 01, 2013 11:15 AM
When I’m asked to identify key components that I feel are central to the success of our UIL music programs, one of the first elements that comes to mind is our committee structure. We are blessed with countless directors and music educators who are highly capable and ever willing to serve on committees appointed to guide many facets of our UIL music competitions. This talent pool remains a priceless resource for the good and betterment of our programs. In addition, the engagement of rank and file teachers who are “in the trenches” helps ensure that our events are relevant and in sync with our curriculum and educational objectives.
Committees consist of five to seven members, and in each case, appointees serve rotating terms so there is always sufficient overlap to ensure consistency and continuity. There is also a commitment to maintaining a balance between large schools and small schools as well as middle schools and high schools
League to Debut Concussion Safety Video in Late Spring
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Friday, March 01, 2013 11:07 AM
In terms of medical issues, the University Interscholastic League pushes to be ahead of the curve to keep athletes safe.
“We have mandatory trainings for coaches, concussion protocols in place, mandatory physicals and much more” Deputy Director Dr. Jamey Harrison said. “Our coaches and many of our athletes are aware of these things, but our parents and the general public don’t always get that information. We haven’t done a good job advertising what we are doing.”
To solve that problem, Executive Director Charles Breithaupt and his executive team decided to create three-minute videos to provide information regarding processes and procedures the UIL has in place for the health and safety of students.
Riggins Awarded Prestigious NFHS Citation
By Jamie Oberg, UIL Intern | Friday, March 01, 2013 10:55 AM
Jana Riggins has been the UIL Speech and Debate Director for the past 16 years.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
Jana Riggins, Assistant Academic director at UIL, will receive the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) prestigious Citation Award this summer in Denver, Colorado.
Designed to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to high school sports and performing arts, the NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school activities. Citation Awards are issued in six categories, including Speech and Debate, where it is the highest honor possible.
When first notified of her recognition, Riggins said she felt “very humbled.”
UIL Unveils Swimming and Diving Historical Display
By Michelle Carrigan, UIL Intern | Friday, March 01, 2013 10:41 AM
The timeline highlights the growth of UIL Swimming and Diving.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
The University Interscholastic League in collaboration with the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center unveiled their new swimming and diving timeline at a ceremony during the state swimming and diving meet Feb. 22. The timeline displays the history, growth and development of swimming and diving with the UIL.UIL staff worked closely with Charles Logan, director of the Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center to chronicle the progression and highlights of UIL swimming and diving and the state meet.
Dr. Charles Breithaupt, UIL executive director, said he was grateful for University of Texas and its support of the timeline and the multiple state championships it hosts.
“If you know the University of Texas like we have known them, they don’t do anything halfway,” Dr. Breithaupt said. “If the University of Texas does it, it is first class and Charles [Logan] epitomizes that.”
Documentation Details for 2012-2013
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Wednesday, February 06, 2013 2:17 PM
As you prepare for competition, one of the most important things prose and poetry performers must do is to secure appropriate documentation for the performance categories.
Securing documentation is not a task that can be left until the last minute. The categories were designed to document easily, but you should secure proper documentation in advance of invitational and district meets. Do this before you put your heart and soul into analyzing and rehearsing a literary work for competition. If documentation is insufficient, you won’t even get to compete, so knowing the requirements and making certain you have met the contest rules is an integral part of preparation.
The Constitution & Contest Rules require all coaches to read the 2012-2013 edition of the UIL Prose and Poetry Handbook, which should be ordered from the state office:
UIL Computer Applications Update for 2013
By Linda Tarrant, Computer Applications Contest Director | Tuesday, January 29, 2013 11:35 AM
Being a contest based on Microsoft Office, Computer Applications will continue to make incremental changes to keep abreast of the changing technology. Again this year, competitors will be using only Office 2007 or Office 2010. The format of these two versions is fairly consistent.
In 2012, we created an Access file with multiple tables that we posted on the UIL website. We posted an exercise for practice using such a downloaded file. The State test last year utilized a downloaded file from the UIL website as well. The consensus of using this type of data was positive. This year, both the Region and State test will use the same 2013 Starter Files that we are posting to be used with a practice exercise.
Academic Deadlines Are Near
By Dr. David Stevens, Academic Director | Thursday, January 24, 2013 2:37 PM
Ready or not, deadlines for academic district meets are upon us. We are available to answer any questions you might have about the online system, but urge you to read the excellent help instructions before you call.
Setting Up the Academic District Meet
If you are in charge of setting up your academic district meet and have not done so by the Feb. 1 deadline, you will be hearing not only from our office, but also from the coordinators in your district trying to enter their contestants. Many academic district directors or meet hosts have already entered meet information, but some have failed to click the correct ‘Status of the Meet’ link from the pull-down menu on the meet setup page. ‘This meet is closed to schools and public’ is the default setting, which you would use before you are ready for schools to use the entry process. However, meet directors must change the status by Feb. 1 at the latest to ‘schools may enter contestants in the meet’ to allow academic coordinators to enter students in events. Some meets that have been setup online do not yet have scheduled times of events, so meet directors will want to check this, too.
UIL Announces Sponsor Excellence Award Winners
By Kate Y. Hector, Media Coordinator | Thursday, January 24, 2013 1:35 PM
The University Interscholastic League is proud to recognize 16 of the top UIL sponsors in Texas as the 2012 UIL Sponsor Excellence Award winners.
The winners were selected by a panel of judges in the areas of music, athletics and academics from nominations submitted by school principals and superintendents across the state.
The award, now in its 22nd year, was created to identify and recognize outstanding sponsors who enable students to develop and refine their extracurricular talents to the highest degree possible within the educational system.