UIL Academic Team Wins Region IV Championship (School)

Academic members winning the Region IV championship in UIL were: Front (L-R): Celia Kasberg, Jurnee Troublefield, Annie Albrecht, Callie Nance and Kristin Watt. Back (L-R): Eleanor Kirkscey, Christina Collins, Justis Liesman-Slimp, Rebecca Dowlearn, Jacob Hallenberger, Donald Miller, Michael O’Rear and Joshua McCaslin.

The high school UIL academic team brought home the Region IV championship, defeating nearly 50 other schools last Saturday at Texas State University in San Marcos. Blanco garnered 188 points while Karnes City came in second with 107.5. District rival Lago Vista finished third with 101 points.

“We’ve been in the running several times, but this is our first time to bring home the regional championship,” said high school UIL academic coordinator Russell Kirkscey. “We have a great bunch of seniors who are very competitive.”

The team also scored more points than any other team in the state on Saturday. The second most points, 163, were scored by Region III champion White Oak.

“With 10 students going, we’ve got as good a chance as any school to win the state meet. Last year, we finished sixth, and we’ve been the in the top five in the state several times over the years,” said Kirkscey.

Jacob Hallenberger, who led all contestants at the meet with 52 individual points, noted his improvement over his past performances. “Overall, I did much better at the regional competition than last year, and I feel that I will remain competitive at state.”

Students who placed first, second, or third qualified for the state UIL Academic Meet in Austin on May 20-22. First place teams also qualify. Students who participate in the state academic meet also are eligible to apply for millions of dollars in scholarships from the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation.

Calculator Applications—Second Place Team

1st Jacob Hallenberger

2nd Callie Nance

Mariah Ackerson

Computer Science—First Place Team

1st Jacob Hallenberger

2nd Michael O’Rear

4th Christina Collins

Joshua McCaslin

Current Issues and Events

2nd Chris Barnett

Literary Criticism—Second Place Team

1st Eleanor Kirkscey

Jurnee Troublefield

Celia Kasberg

Computer Applications

2nd Jacob Hallenberger

6th Justis Liesman-Slimp

Editorial Writing

5th Annie Albrecht

Feature Writing

3rd Rebecca Dowlearn

Headline Writing

2nd Annie Albrecht

Informative Speaking

2nd Kristin Watt

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

3rd Chris Barnett

Quarterfinalist—Annabeth Griffin

Mathematics

3rd Jacob Hallenberger

Prose Interpretation

Finalist—Donald Miller

Ready Writing

5th Annie Albrecht

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