TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School students won three individual championships at the UIL 12-6A District Academic Meet last weekend in Belton. Temple also won a team event district championship and qualified a total of ten students to advance to the UIL Regional Meet.
Temple’s Saniyah Galbreath won a district championship in poetry interpretation. Hanna Prince won district in prose interpretation and Mekena McVean was district champion in ready writing. Seven other students will also advance to the Regional Meet after finishing in the top three in their competitions. Allisandria Randle finished second and Miles Gaunt took third place in persuasive speaking, Natalie Greenfield finished second and Skyler Gordon finished third in prose interpretation and Colin Fowler finished third in literary criticism. Tommy Torres finished second in number sense and Teresa Do earned third place in calculator applications. Temple High School added a district championship in Team Speech and finished second in Team Literary Criticism and Team Calculator Applications.
“It is very rewarding to see these students grow through this competition,” said Natasha Tolleson, Temple High School UIL academic sponsor and theatre arts director. “Several of these kids have been doing these events for more than one year and you see them place higher each year. To see them break through and go to regionals, it’s really exciting because you get to see them improve.”
Temple also had several other students medal by placing in the top six, but those students finished just short of advancing to the Regional Meet. Alivea Johnson and Rania Ahmed finished fifth and sixth in informative speaking, Johnson and Randle were fourth and fifth in Lincoln Douglas debate, Alyssa Maggitt and Greenfield finished fifth and sixth in literary criticism and Brinley Belson and Avery Tarbet took fourth and sixth place in poetry interpretation. Riya Patel and Andrea Mendez finished fourth and fifth in calculator applications.
The UIL Regional Academic Meet will be held April 22-23rd at Baylor University.