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Volleyball State Tournament to Move to Garland
By Peter Contreras, Assistant Athletic Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 3:23 PM
Wow. Where did the summer go?
Talk about days and months running together. If parents and the public really knew how much work is done during the summer in preparation for each upcoming school year, I think they just might be amazed.
Like you, August arrived sooner than I wanted and since no one bothered to ask if I was ready, forward is the only direction acceptable. For the 2012-13 school year, I have key changes to highlight in the sports where I serve as your UIL director. Here are few of those changes.
Music World Stays Stable, Only Minor Rule Tweaks
By Richard Floyd, Music Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 3:19 PM
Walking the halls of the summer music conferences in San Antonio, one of the most common questions I hear is, “What’s new?” And, my response is generally, “Not much.”
You see UIL music operates in a very stable environment that remains sensitive to the priorities and expectations of the music programs and directors it serves. That is not to say that we don’t have problems and challenges that confront us on every level, but the basic structure of what we do in UIL music remains stable and consistent.
Much of the credit for this stability can be attributed to the network of communication that we enjoy throughout the state and the excellent work of the UIL/TMEA Music Advisory Committee that carefully reviews our rules, contest procedures and proposals for revisions. As a result our rule changes are minimal; however, there are two new options included in the 2012-13 UIL Constitution and Contest Rules that are worth mentioning.
It’s Teachers Who Make the Difference in Schools
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 3:15 PM
I’m an individual who is fascinated with facts and figures, based-on-true-story movies and the news. Yes, I admit it. I love the news so much my sons have labeled me a news junkie. This summer when they were home for stretches of time, they learned to automatically change the channel from sports to news, no words exchanged, when I walked in the door after work.
So, admittedly, I was intrigued to discover the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates there are over seven million teachers in America. My first thought about that statistic? Seven million – wow! What an army of individuals to impact our world!
Amanda Paulson, writer for the Christian Science Monitor, draws a conclusion from her research for a special edition of the Monitor focusing on improving schools in America: “Teachers are the most important factor in student learning — more important than textbooks, tests, computers, classrooms, peer groups, study guides or any other aspect of the education industry.”
A Guide to Help Coaches and Schools Prepare for Year
By Mark Cousins, Athletic Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 2:11 PM
Over the years, I have spent many column inches in the Leaguer discussing what schools and coaches need to do to ensure that their programs and participants are ready for the school year. In this column, I want to focus on what the schools need to do to ensure themselves and their coaches are ready for the beginning of the season.
The day-to-day work of a coach is dedicated to making sure the students are prepared to be successful in the classroom and also in the extracurricular activity of their choice.
In many cases, the things that coaches have to do in order to qualify to coach in Texas are sometimes overlooked. These dedicated professionals that we call ‘coach’ spend hundreds of hours each year preparing kids to be their best. But before they can work with the students, they must also spend many hours preparing themselves to meet the various requirements needed in order to coach.
Lone Star Cup Winners Crowned
By Chris Schmidt, Public Affairs Representative | Monday, August 27, 2012 2:03 PM
Lake Travis activity coordinators, school board members and the superintendent (far right) celebrate the Lone Star Cup win at the district convocation ceremonies. Assistant Athletic Director Traci Neely presented the trophy and a $1,000 check to Superintendent Brad Lancaster.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
Each year, schools around the state compete for the right to be called UIL state champion. Those state champions then compete for the right to take home the UIL Lone Star Cup.
The UIL Lone Star Cup Award recognizes five high schools – one in each of the five UIL classifications – each year based on their overall team achievement in a variety of sanctioned academic, athletic and music championships. In 2012, Southlake Carroll, Austin Lake Travis, Argyle, White Oak and Lindsay won the coveted trophy with their overall excellence in UIL competitions.
With five state championships in the 2011-12 season, Southlake Carroll High School captured its third Lone Star Cup victory and first in Conference 5A with 100 points. The Dragons’ five state titles, most among Lone Star Cup winners, came in football, boys’ and girls’ cross country and boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving
A Guide to Catching a State Trophy
By David Stevens, Academic Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:59 PM
On a recent expedition to the Gulf Coast of Texas, I had some time to let the sand sift through my toes, the salty air to blow through my hair and time to enjoy one of my favorite departures from realism.
Fishing can be the biggest thrill of the day or the most boring thing you do.
I have a lot of fish stories to tell, and I have enough college degrees in pretending (theatre) that you might believe one of them. Some people only reel in an old shoe or an empty hook when they fish. I am betting that you want to pull in something much better than that — a state trophy.
Legislative Council to Vote on Student Congress in October
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:56 PM
Last fall, Princeton High School hosted Congress competition for the first time at the State Capitol. The school will host another competition this year. Within an hour of opening online registration, more than half of the tournament slots were filled.
Photo by Photos courtesy of Jimmy Smith, Princeton High School
At its June meeting, the Academic Committee of the UIL Legislative Council gave an affirmative nod to Congress as a new pilot contest for the League. The full Council will give final review to the preliminary action in October.
Congress is a mock legislative assembly competition where students draft bills (proposed laws) and resolutions (position statements) that the assembly debates and votes upon to pass into law. It is an individual contest in a large group setting, modeling the legislative process of democracy, specifically the United States Congress.
One-Act Play Readies for a New Year with Facebook, Rule Changes, Proposals
By Luis Muñoz, Theatre Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:49 PM
Welcome back! The staff at UIL hope you had a wonderful summer break and are ready to get started on some new adventures.
As we approach the school year, it will be important that you prepare yourself with good information. One of the “GREAT!” things I discovered last March was the Facebook page “UIL One-Act Play Directors” created by Tisa Whitfill. Its membership has increased from 39 when I first saw it to 600 today.
The lively and useful exchanges about play titles, curriculum needs and general “swap-shopping” is wonderful to watch. Make a point of becoming a member.
A+ Gears Up for School Year
By David Trussell, A+ Director | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:46 PM
As you gear up for a successful academic year in 2012-2013, don’t forget to include A+ Academics on your back-to-school to-do list.
• Online registration is available on the UIL website (www.uiltexas.org/aplus). Each campus that participates in A+ Academics must register with the state office school year. The process takes only a couple of minutes, and when you register we’ll send you a packet of important information, including a complimentary copy of the 2012-2013 A+ Handbook.
Student Activity Conferences Set for September
By | Monday, August 27, 2012 1:42 PM
The UIL will conduct three Student Activity Conferences this fall, featuring all the high school academic events at these sites.
September 15 — Tyler Junior College, Tyler
September 22 — Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi
September 29 — The University of Texas at Austin
Please note: West Texas A&M University, Canyon has been canceled.