Academics News
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Committee Selects Texas Teacher’s Topic for National CX Debate Competition
By Julianne Coyne, UIL Intern | Monday, March 07, 2011 11:07 AM
Chad Flisowski
As a child, Calhoun High School debate coach Chad Flisowski was intrigued by space. He was inspired by Star Trek, shuttle launches and the return of Halley’s Comet. He dreamt of sailing through space.
“I never lost that enthusiasm for space travel or space science as I grew older,” Flisowski said. “I read books on the subject, watched documentaries on the Discovery and History channels and even took astronomy in college. And I never gaze up at the night sky without a sense of wonder."
UIL Honors 15 Sponsor Excellence Award Winners
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Monday, February 21, 2011 3:05 PM
Journalism teacher Mary Pulliam accepts her Sponsor Excellence Award at the February Duncanville ISD School Board meeting. Pulliam has taught journalism for more than 30 years at Duncanville High School.
Photo by Angel Morris
The University Interscholastic League is proud to recognize 15 of the top UIL sponsors in Texas as the 2010 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.
Ideas for Scholastic Journalism Week Feb. 20-26
By Julianne Coyne, UIL Intern | Wednesday, February 09, 2011 2:54 PM
The Journalism Education Association has designated the week of Feb. 20-26 as Scholastic Journalism Week. During this week, schools from around the nation will look for ways to celebrate their journalism programs and inform the public of the benefits of scholastic journalism.
Here are some ideas for celebrating at your school:
1. Have students research and celebrate famous journalists like Nellie Bly or Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
2. Hold a fake news conference or stage a fake crime for students to report.
Prepping for Lit Crit in 2011
By Mark Bernier, Literary Criticism State Contest Director | Monday, February 07, 2011 9:22 AM
The district and region meets are just down the road, and I trust that the invitational meets are serving as good preparation. The calendar appears crowded with opportunity even if the weather (and the economy) might be interfering a bit.
Living with the Reading List has its effects; some, I hope, are short-term. I recently dreamed about Lizzie coming upon Yank in a greenhouse, the image of which is permanently burned into my imagination's retina. The Omphalian oracle positioned among "last year's" Erewhonian statues doesn't haunt me, perhaps because New Zealand, even in my dream world, is so beautiful. So it is that I hope that you are enjoying Austen's invitation into Society and O'Neill's thrusting you into the caged world of the working class, as well as Roethke's beckoning you along the recursive path that is the breadth of his lifetime of experience.
Clarifying Questions About New Prose & Poetry Categories
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Tuesday, February 01, 2011 4:01 PM
There is much excitement about the new prose and poetry categories for high school oral interpretation contests. As students and coaches seek to find literature to fit these parameters, questions arise. I have enjoyed being out on the circuit judging. I see firsthand the approaches students are taking with the categories, which aids me in evaluating the category descriptors to ensure they clearly convey the framers’ intent for performances.
I am writing this article to clarify many of the questions I have received regarding the new categories.
Let me begin by reminding coaches the Constitution & Contest Rules require all coaches to read the 2010-2011 edition of the UIL Prose and Poetry Handbook, which should be ordered from the State Office. There is an extended discussion of the categories in Chapter 4 designed to aid coaches in guiding their students to prepare appropriately. Review the manual far in advance of your district meet, in order to prevent problems or disqualification at League-standing contests.
Documentation Details for 2010-11
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Tuesday, February 01, 2011 3:46 PM
As you prepare for your upcoming spring 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. Although the new categories were designed to make documentation easier, the authors and selections a student chooses may not be quick to document.
Documentation should be found before students put their heart and soul into analyzing and rehearsing a literary work for competition. If documentation is insufficient, students do not get to compete, so knowing the requirements and making certain you have met the contest rules is of utmost importance.
UIL Calculator Application State Director David Bourell to Receive TMS Fellows Award
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Monday, January 31, 2011 11:47 AM
On March 1, 2011, David Bourell will be awarded with The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Fellows Award. The TMS Fellow Award is a very exclusive, international honor as their can only be 100 living fellows at any point in time.
Verification Approved for Journalism Contests
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Wednesday, January 26, 2011 11:16 AM
Next year, journalism coaches are going to see an addition in the Constitution and Contest Rules for our four journalism contests.
For the 2011-12 school year, all journalism contests will have a verification period. The change will read as follows:
- (G) Unofficial Results. Unofficial results of individuals who appear to have placed first through sixth place should be announced.
- (H) Verification Period. Prior to the announcement of official results, contestants and/or coaches shall be permitted no more than 15 minutes to identify contestants’ papers. Judging decisions and rankings are subjective and shall not be subject to protest. Coaches or contestants not present for the viewing period forfeit their opportunity to identify entries.
- Announcing Official Results. The contest director should announce the name and school of first through sixth place individuals. Official results, once announced, are final.
Computer Application Contest Changes with Technology Advances
By Linda Tarrant, State Contest Director | Wednesday, January 12, 2011 1:35 PM
Technology keeps changing, and the Computer Applications Contest continues to be pulled forward in the wake. With Microsoft Office 2010 now available, Computer Applications, in the spirit of using the "current or near current version of Microsoft Office,” will allow use of either Office 2007 or 2010 for all contests.
Currently, tests are written in Office 2007, and they are tested in both Office 2007 and 2010. Where the applications are not consistent, instructions are added for clarification. So far, most of the differences between the two versions seem again to be in the area of Access report output and are minimal.
For the official UIL tests for spring 2011, the Constitution clearly specifies the following parameters:
JoJo Passes: Facebook Helped Me Share Our Good News
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Friday, December 17, 2010 8:53 AM
A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for breakfast.
Not exactly the breakfast of champions. Especially for a four-year-old.
But we didn’t care.
We were under doctor orders, and we were willing to have one super unhealthy breakfast to challenge JoJo’s peanut allergy.
The good news is, he won.
After two years of herbal therapy with Dr. Xiu-Min Li of Mt. Sinai in New York City, JoJo passed a peanut challenge.
He no longer reacts to peanuts. He is still allergic to some tree nuts, but we are winning this food allergy battle.
It was the best Christmas present I could have ever received.