BrownwoodNews – Brownwood ISD students unlocked their potential on Thursday, December 6th, at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition at Hillsboro Intermediate School.
Students from Coggin Intermediate, East Elementary, Northwest Elementary, and Woodland Heights Elementary competed in a range of activities like chess, creative writing, ready writing, storytelling, spelling, dictionary skills, maps and graphs, oral reading, mathematics, and more.
A “mini meet” was held in November to finalize the top qualifiers at Brownwood Intermediate School. From there, the leading teams and top six in each category completed the rounds in Hillsboro.
Second through fifth grade Brownwood students have been preparing since September for their events, taking one or two class periods a week to cement the skills they needed to compete against other students across the area. “This year I had thirty-six students sign up to be in UIL,” said Ready Writing coach and third grade teacher Christy Couch.
“I take ten-year-old prompts, give them to the kids, and have them write. From there I eliminated down to sixteen, from there went to eight, then to the final four. Every time we ‘cut’ we write about something different.” Those final students practiced their skills with their coaches in the weeks leading up to the bigger competition. That practice paid off, with Brownwood students taking in multiple first, second, and third place positions.
Students who earned those top three placements will receive medals; those in places four through six will receive ribbons; all participants earn certificates. More than the improved skill, the awards, and the recognition, the students achieve a myriad of other traits, like perseverance, determination, and passion. “It helps them realize that they have hidden talents,” Couch said. “I have a student who is in music memory, who I did not expect to even like it at all, and he ended up making the team. He found out for himself he loves classical music. And I think it’s great for a third grader to love classical music.”
The coaches and students work together to sharpen the skills the students need. While the competition may have been short-lived, the memories and lessons will last a lifetime. “It opens up a whole new world for them,” Couch said. “It gives them practice in ‘sticktoitiveness’, of persistence and consistency, of following through and improving as they go along.” Couch’s group of third grade Ready Writers excelled at this year’s competition, taking first, second, and third places. They had each written five-page stories that had to meet certain qualifications of writing skill.
“The Ready Writers placing like we did was a huge thing for the girls. The UIL competition made them more passionate about writing. I’d like to think it makes them more passionate about their events. We come together as a team, even as we’re practicing. It’s something big when the students cheer each other on. You see a lot of that coming out of the UIL events.”
While Couch has one perspective of the writing elements included in UIL, many other coaches bring their expertise and interest into their students’ training as well. The students catch on and share the enthusiasm, encouraging each other throughout the duration of the events. It is a circular energy and people are noticing. “When I see the UIL kids or any of my students get excited about writing, it makes me excited,” Couch said.
“I love to see the ‘aha’ moment. It’s awesome in writing. Once that moment comes, they take off. I will go to whatever lengths it takes to keep them writing. It’s a form of expression which will help them later on. I love to see them develop as writers, from at the first of the year barely squeezing out five lines, to writing five pages. It makes my heart warm and fuzzy. I love watching their brains work. The ‘aha’ moments get me every time. Keeps that passion going.”
Additional photos can be viewed at www.brownwoodisd.org/ElemUIL2018.
2018 UIL Results (Brownwood Students)
2nd Grade Creative Writing – 2nd place – Braylee Reeves
2nd Grade Chess Puzzle – 3rd place team
2nd Grade Chess Puzzle – 6th place – Ryker Calvert
2nd Grade Storytelling – 3rd place – Cyndea Wilson
2nd Grade Storytelling – 5th place – Trinity Mendoza
3rd Grade Chess Puzzle – 4th place – Everett Kirchner
3rd Grade Chess Puzzle – 3rd place team
3rd Grade Music Memory – 1st place – Skyllar Morey
3rd Grade Music Memory – 2nd place – Landi Clark
3rd Grade Music Memory – 3rd place – Aadyn Price
3rd Grade Music Memory – 4th place – Kevin Sherrin
3rd Grade Music Memory – 1st place team
3rd Grade Ready Writing – 1st place – Madeleine Musgrove
3rd Grade Ready Writing – 2nd place – Kaydence Chandler
3rd Grade Ready Writing – 3rd place – Lily Martinez
3rd Grade Spelling – 1st place – Susannah Alcanter
3rd Grade Spelling – 4th place – De’Layna Hall
3rd Grade Spelling – 1st place team
3rd Grade Storytelling – 3rd place – Kimber McLean
3rd Grade Storytelling – 5th place – Amerie DeLaPaz
3rd Grade Storytelling – 6th place – Kaydence Chandler
4th Grade Art – 5th place – Addaley Huerta
4th Grade Art – 6th place – Shari Ray
4th Grade art – 3rd place team
4th Grade Chess Puzzle – 1st place – Hayden Christianson
4th Grade Chess Puzzle – 5th place – Cooper Morgan
4th Grade Chess Puzzle – 6th place – Blake Hutchins
4th Grade Chess Puzzle – 1st place team
4th Grade Music Memory – 1st place – Bella Ervin
4th Grade Music Memory – 2nd place – Madison Weckwerth
4th Grade Music Memory – 4th place – Levi Moss
4th Grade Music Memory – 5th place – Dezarae Buitron
4th Grade Music Memory – 6th place – Kensley Seay
4th Grade Music Memory – 1st place team
4th Grade Number Sense – 4th place – Jack Jeys
4th Grade Number Sense – 3rd place team
4th Grade Ready Writing – 2nd place – Lyndi Biasiolli
4th Grade Ready Writing – 4th place – Kirstan Cyr
4th Grade Ready Writing – 5th place – Natalie Ramos
4th Grade Spelling – 2nd place – Gale Balfour
4th Grade Spelling – 3rd place – Jackson Delgado
4th Grade Spelling – 5th place – Lola Moya
4th Grade Spelling – 1st place team
5th Grade Chess Puzzle – 1st place – Trine Baugh
5th Grade Chess Puzzle – 1st place team
5th Grade Dictionary Skills – 1st place – Kyle Recolizado
5th Grade Dictionary Skills – 2nd place – Jacqueline Salazar
5th Grade Dictionary Skills – 6th place – Allie Fulton
5th Grade Dictionary Skills – 1st place team
5th Grade Listening Skills – 4th place – Cate Smith
5th Grade Maps, Graphs, Charts – 1st place – Eric Smith
5th Grade Maps, Graphs, Charts—2nd place – Ciara McDonough
5th Grade Maps, Graphs, Charts – 5th place – Racey Pinkston
5th Grade Maps, Graphs, Charts – 1st place team
5th Grade Number Sense – 6th place – Grant Gray
5th Grade Number Sense – 3rd place team
5th Grade Ready Writing – 2nd place – Caprice Olivarri
5th Grade Ready Writing – 5th place – Kailee Bessent
5th Grade Spelling – 3rd place team
###
