Academic UIL is around the corner, and teachers have begun preparing. Study sessions have begun after school and teams are being formed.
Academic UIL is a competition where students compete against each other and students from other schools in core subjects such as math, science, history and English. Although not a core subject, classes like journalism are included as well.
“I love competing, I’ve done it with my friends all four years,” senior Wendy Mejia said. “I’m going to participate in social studies and ready writing.”
On the day of competition, students sit in the hosting school’s cafeteria or auditorium where they rest until the time of one of their events. Throughout the day, the top five students for each event are announced. The top three students then advance to regionals, where they travel to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas on a school-funded trip to compete again.
“When I got the news I was advancing to regionals in Lubbock, I was absolutely ecstatic," senior Olivia Adkins said. “I went with two teachers and four other girls, and we had so much fun going to different restaurants across Lubbock and exploring the city. We even went bowling. For my headlines contest, I was in a lecture hall with about sixty other competitors. I will never forget the memories I made that weekend.”
This year, the team has two new coordinators: Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Garza. They have been coaching math for years but have stepped up to lead the program.
“Mrs. Garza and I are both very passionate about our math teams, we meet every Thursday from the beginning of the school year all the way to March,” Mrs. Hudson said. “We’d love to help build this program at BHS to give students more opportunities to compete academically.”
WIth teams being formed, the coordinators are thinking about their goals and how far they want to get this season.
“I would love to see our math team advance to regionals this year,” Mrs. Hudson said. “We have gotten close the past two years and I think we have a good chance this year. Our other teams, I’m hoping to see everyone make progress. We have varying levels of experience and ability, so I’m not sure what to expect but I’m excited to get started.“
Academic UIL is a great way to improve your knowledge on subjects you love and have fun via competition. If you are interested in making a career out of what you learn in school, it is a great way to test your knowledge and what areas you need to improve in. Even if you don’t plan on using anything from school in the future, it provides a great experience to enjoy a competition with your friends.