Published: May 08, 2008 06:36 pm            

Smith students compete at UIL

Twenty-seven Smith Middle School students brought home awards from the annual UIL Quad-County academic meet, held at H.F. Stevens Middle School in Crowley.

“I was really proud of the efforts our kids gave,” said Phyllis McPherson, Smith UIL coordinator. “It was really a lot of fun. We had more than 100 students participate, including several sixth graders.”

Although considered a seventh- and eighth-grade contest, sixth graders who pass a qualifying test may compete.

“Several of our sixth-grade students not only qualified to compete in the seventh-grade division, we had several place among the top six spots in their contests, which was very exciting,” McPherson said.

Those sixth graders were Hannah Hulsey, who received a second place medal in spelling; Joey Walters, fifth place, maps skills; Dana Siler, second place, listening skills; Quin Arrington and Foster Kelm, second place, seventh and eighth team pantomime; Ethan Fletcher, third place, poetry and Avery Hough and Garrison Roe, first place, improvisation.

Also receiving medals were: Kayla Ingram and Macie Cashion, first place, eighth grade improvisation; Franky Maldonado, first place, and Morgan Richter, third place, eighth grade social studies; Max Misek, fifth place, impromptu speaking.

Smith captured three spots in modern oratory for seventh and eighth grades with Kenneth Fletcher taking first place; Beth Griffith, fourth and Alex Cooper, sixth.

Zach Sanders placed fourth in eighth-grade keyboarding; Audrey Spalding finished second in seventh- and eighth-grade editorial writing and Nan Poole was awarded third place in eighth grade prose interpretation.

In the seventh-grade Map Skills event, Katie Tanner placed third and in the eighth-grade contest, Ellaina Sullivan finished fourth and Zach Sanders placed sixth. In seventh grade Listening Skills, Katie Gribble placed fifth with eighth graders Kenneth Fletcher and Kathlene Rexnode placing fifth and sixth, respectively.

In Science I, Kyle Silva took second place and fellow seventh grader Jessica Flores placed fourth in Dictionary Skills.

Academic athletes representing Smith in the competition also included Michael Bailey, Robert Gonzales, Trent Russell, Whitney Martin, Taylen Hammond, Shayna Patterson, Jarrett Hubbard, Kristen Henry, Alex Ibarra, Alyssa Foree, Spencer Dugger, Kaylene Parker, Brennan Jones, Taylor Paige Martino, Monique Peterson, Mariesha Devall, Whitley Nix, Eloisa Amaya, Tori Bullard, Crista Cagney, Payton Flores, Jordan Ellis, Justice Barkman, Brach Farmer, Eddie Ruffin, Hunter Layland, Neola McLain, Alexis Morton, Monika Mendosa, Sierra Anderson, Lorena Azua, Ryan Roe, Jordan Hood, Emma Tarver and Jessica Prows.

        

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