Latest news with #UIL
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dallas' School Of Science And Engineering Dominates 2025 UIL Academic Sweepstakes
The School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center captured the 4A Academic UIL 2025 Sweepstakes Trophy at the state competition in Austin. The Dallas school dominated multiple academic categories to claim the top honor. The victory represents a significant achievement in Texas academic competition and showcases the school's commitment to excellence across multiple disciplines. The School of Science and Engineering secured the sweepstakes prize by placing first both as a team and individually in seven key areas. Those categories included accounting, calculator applications, computer science, journalism, mathematics, number sense, and science. 'We understand the dedication of time, effort, and resources needed to win this honor,' said David Steves, director of academics for UIL. 'Success in UIL academic competition shows your administration's support of these programs along with the commitment from academic coaches, teachers, and students to academic excellence.' The competition took place at the University of Texas at Austin, where schools across the state competed for academic recognition. The School of Science and Engineering's sweep across multiple categories demonstrated exceptional preparation and talent. Meanwhile, the School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center secured a third-place individual award in current issues and events. That same school also finished third as a team in computer science, reported Dallas ISD.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canutillo High School ‘mathlete' wins UIL state championship
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Canutillo High School student won first place in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Calculator Applications Individual State Championship, according to Canutillo Independent School District. Matthew Medina, a senior at Canutillo High School, not only won the UIL 5A Calculator Applications Championship, but was also named valedictorian, MIT-bound scholar and a record-setting scholarship recipient, Canutillo ISD said. 'Matthew has had an outstanding year, both academically and in competition,' Canutillo High School Principal Candice Marrufo said. 'It's incredibly fitting that, after a phenomenal four-year career representing Canutillo in math competitions, he finishes his time as an Eagle with a state championship.' According to Canutillo ISD, Medina is the only student from El Paso to earn an academic UIL state title this year. In addition, Canutillo ISD said Medina is believed to be the fourth El Pasoan in over three decades to win a UIL state championship in a mathematics-related event. Medina will graduate from Canutillo High School as valedictorian for the Class of 2025 on May 30 at the Don Haskins Center. Medina will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned over $1.5 million in scholarships. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OHS junior places 3rd in UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest
May 22—Shijay Sivakumar, the middle school spelling whiz who made the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is now at Odessa High School and placed third in the state UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest earlier this week in Austin. Javier Ruiz, who teaches English 4 (seniors) and coaches Academic Decathlon and UIL Spelling at OHS, said Sivakumar is an amazing young man. "He handles his rigorous school load plus devotes time to band and UIL. He is very talented! I hope we get to work together again next year!" Ruiz said. This was Sivakumar's first time making state in the contest and he said his spelling bee preparation in middle school helped him get there. "It was just something for me to ... exercise my interest with spelling," said Sivakumar, now 17. He added that he didn't know about the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary contest previously. "But through high school, I just found out about it, and I started competing," Sivakumar said. According to the UIL website, each year, the UIL Spelling and Vocabulary Contest is based on a different vocabulary list provided by UIL and consists of a three-part test. Part I: A fifteen-minute section of 30 multiple-choice items focused on vocabulary and proofreading. Part II and III: The hand-written spelling of 70 words pronounced aloud to contestants, as well as a tiebreaker section of 20 additional pronounced words, the site detailed. Sivakumar, who will be a senior next year, added that he is pleased with how he did. He added that Ruiz helped him and set everything up. "He told me that he hadn't gone to state in 20 years doing this, and no one ever from the school has made state. So I told myself, okay, I'm going to be the first. And I told myself, I was going to put OHS on the map and do it for him, try and make state, and I did that, so I'm glad, and I also medaled at state, so I'm pretty satisfied," Sivakumar said. Sivakumar is in the International Baccalaureate program at OHS. "I love the IB program. Actually, my friends, we've all gotten super close through the IB program, all of us having the same classes together. ... I couldn't do it without ... my friends and teachers. They've been my biggest supporters throughout everything this year," he added. He said preparing for these contests teaches you a lot of discipline and work ethic. He could try the contest again next year, but he's not sure if he'll have the time with all his IB exams. "I'm going to ponder it (and) see if I have the time to do it before making a decision on that," Sivakumar said. The competition was held at UT Austin and he had a really good time touring the campus so he hopes to go there, Harvard or Brown in no particular order. His sister Shreeya, an eighth grader at the Young Women's Leadership Academy, will be competing in the Scripps bee next week in Washington, D.C. The competition starts May 27. Sivakumar wanted to make a shout-out to her, sending his support and hoping she does "the best she can." He also thanked Ruiz. "He's been ... a big help with all the travel and logistics. I'm glad I was able to make state for him, and I wanted to shout out the IB program. They've helped me so much. My friends and teachers, honestly, I couldn't do any of this without them. (I'm) just so blessed to have all of them in my life," Sivakumar said.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What is the multimillion-dollar Christoval Performing Arts Center project?
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — In the community of Christoval, Texas, a years-long effort to raise funds privately for the construction of a new, multimillion-dollar performing arts center is still underway. Here's what you need to know about the project — and how you could help make the facility a reality. The initiative seeks to raise funds for the construction and opening of the Christoval Performing Arts Center, a building with an estimated $15 million cost that would house the future of Christoval ISD's creative arts programs. CTX PAC 6, also known as The Stage By The River, is the organization behind the project. The center would span approximately 60,000- to 75,000 square feet and include several amenities, including a 900-seat auditorium, a University Interscholastic League-approved stage, a large multipurpose area that could be used to host events, rooms for several of Christoval ISD's creative arts classes and storage for the district's one-act play program. Once ready for use, the building would be turned over to the school district. The facility would also generate revenue for the district, with CTX PAC 6 estimating that thousands of dollars could be drawn in daily while the center is being used to house OAP competitions. The organization said these competitions aren't limited to those involving Christoval ISD's program, as other school districts across Texas could use the facility for UIL acting contests. 'If there's $10 for one person to be there in a seat, and we have a 900-seat facility, one day of competition could make $9,000 for the school,' Theresa Cortez, communications coordinator for CTX PAC 6, said. Chief among the group's reasons for championing the fundraising effort is a lack of space at the Christoval ISD's sole campus for the OAP, band and other creative arts programs. Cortez said this space issue also extends to other large-scale events held at the campus, such as graduations and awards assemblies. 'Right now, we are struggling with facilities so much that Christoval ISD rents space in San Angelo,' Cortez said. Jack Campbell, project manager for CTX PAC 6, stated that the program's existing accommodations are not up to standard for UIL competitions, which can hinder actors when they travel to perform on UIL-compliant stages — something that has been shown to be likely to occur, as Christoval ISD's OAP program has competed at the state level on multiple occasions throughout the years, including during the 2024-2025 school semester. Supporting local: How a florist and a flower farmer navigate tariffs by choosing fresh, homegrown blooms 'Our OAP has been to state 10 times,' Campbell said. 'We have won state three times, and we've had three separate times when we've had the Samuel French Award, which is the highest acting award you can get … through UIL.' Campbell said that the school district's band and art programs also suffer from similar issues and could stand to benefit from a new building. Despite this observed need for an improved facility, community members expressed concerns that calling a bond election to fund the project would ultimately fail to produce results in a timely manner. 'It took us 25 years to pass a bond to do a middle school, and we'd been needing that for years and years,' Campbell said. This led to the founding of the CTX PAC 6 in May 2023 to spearhead efforts to privately raise funds for the new theater. 'It's not going to happen through a bond,' Campbell said. 'You saw how many years it took it here and for us to get this done. For this to happen, it has to come through the private donations — the people in the Christoval area and the San Angelo area.' San Angelo Chamber emphasizes tourism's role in city revenue Christoval ISD isn't a stranger to privately funded facilities. In 2021, a new gymnasium was opened after an anonymous donor gave $3 million to the school district for its construction. Campbell said the district's baseball fields were also brought about through private donations. 'There was a need, so the people came to them through private donations and built these,' Campbell said. As of the time of publication, CTX PAC 6 has raised approximately $500,000 toward the construction of the Christoval Performing Arts Center through the donations and grants it has received since its founding roughly two years ago. However, the group remains hopeful thanks to opportunities that could be opened up should an upcoming fundraising milestone be reached. CTX PAC 6 members stated that multiple donors have expressed interest in the project should $1 million — the amount of money needed to complete phase one of the project — be successfully raised. The organization believes that larger donations and grants may be forthcoming if this goal can be met. 'When they see that yes, we do have a community behind us, there's a lot of growth in our current, starting-out-of-the-gate fundraising that really opens up the ability to apply for many of these grants that say they expect $1 million or $2 million in the bank before your application comes in,' Cortez said. Group members said that phase two, which encompasses the bulk of the construction for the performing arts center, could be further funded by these more sizeable donations, potentially snowballing fundraising efforts as the amount of money gathered shows prospective donors and grant-makers that the community is interested. 'There are people out there that can write a check for the whole thing, we know that,' Campbell said. 'What we need to do is make sure this project feels significant enough to them that they will invest.' New motocross track coming to Concho Valley According to The Stage By The River website, the project currently has a projected lifespan of six years. Having begun in 2023 and with public fundraising opening in 2024, construction is predicted to start in 2027. Should events go as planned, the Christoval Performing Arts Center will be ready for use by 2028. Construction can't begin without the proper funds, though, and CTX PAC 6 still has thousands of dollars to go before reaching the $1 million mark. Knowing this, the organization encourages Christoval and San Angelo residents to consider donating to help bring the facility to life. 'We are literally investing in generations to come, we're investing in our kids,' Campbell said. 'Whether you live in San Angelo or live in Christoval or live in the area, you're saying those students are important enough that we can make this happen.' Those who wish to donate may do so through a donation portal found on The Stage By The River website. For more information and updates as the project progresses, visit the group's website and Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Girls flag football kicks off at Austin public schools
The Austin Independent School District is hosting its inaugural girls flag football tournament this weekend, with the support of the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott. Why it matters: Women's sports are growing in Austin, from soccer to rugby to flag football. The big picture: Texas' University Interscholastic League (UIL) doesn't formally consider flag football a high school sport, but it has grown nationwide as another option for female athletes. This year, the NCAA's Atlantic East Conference introduced women's flag football. Men's and women's flag football will also debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Austin-based Concordia University Texas launched a varsity women's flag football team in the fall. What they're saying: "Football has given me so much. Now, as a 'Girl Dad' myself, I want to thank the girls for paving the way today, and for breaking barriers to grow the game," Prescott said in a statement earlier this year announcing the Cowboys' partnership with AISD and other Texas public school districts. Zoom out: The NFL has been working since 2016 to encourage more girls to play flag football. It is now a varsity sport in 14 states and at more than 50 colleges and universities, per the Cowboys. UIL has said more schools need to establish programs for the league to consider sanctioning the sport in Texas. Zoom in: The Houston Texans earlier this year announced partnerships with Round Rock ISD and Pflugerville ISD to support girls flag football programs. 📍 If you go: Squads from a dozen AISD high schools will compete today and tomorrow, starting at 5:30pm at the Toney Burger Athletic Center in South Austin. Admission is free.
