Students place well at practice meet
By Donnie A. Lucas
A small group of just nine students opened the 2023 UIL academic season last Saturday in Haskell, with several placing and three teams taking first place.
Three students picked up 11 medals or ribbons over the five journalism events, earning the points needed to also bring home the Top Journalism Team plaque.
Likewise, the current events and social studies teams also took first place.
“I was really proud of the kids,” UIL director Rick Davis said. “This was a great start to our season. Of the nine students who went, eight placed in one or more events. That’s over 75 percent, which is outstanding.”
As is usual for the Haskell meet, it conflicted with the local stock show which kept a number of other students from competing.
The three journalism students swept the top three places in the editorial contest, with Avery Everitt earning first, Mayson Garcia second, and Sidney Russell third.
The trio also placed in the copy editing, with Russell placing first and Everitt second, while Garcia was fifth.
Albany took second and third in news writing, with Everitt placing second and Russell third.
Everitt also earned silver in feature writing, while Russell was sixth.
Garcia placed third in headline writing.
The team of Michael Sadler, Landon Kreitler, and John Birkla won first place in current events. Sadler placed second and Birkla was third.
The same threesome also won Top Team in social studies, with Birkla taking second individually, followed by Kreitler in fourth.
Presley Green won fourth place in ready writing at the meet.
Holden Sanchez earned fourth in mathematics.
The UIL competitors will either enter an in-person meet at Wylie High School on Feb. 11, or participate in a virtual meet hosted by Stamford during a window of Feb. 10-17.
“The kids can’t participate in both because both meets will be using the same set of testing materials,” Davis said. “I know that the journalism students will be attending the Wylie meet, along with several of our other students. We may have a few who choose to enter the virtual meet.”
The practice meets are preparing students for the district academic meet on March 22 in Stamford.
The top three places in each contest will advance to the Region II meet set for April 21-22 at Grayson College.
Again, the top three winners in each contest will move on to the state meet in Austin on May 17-18.
