CHAN'CELLORE MAKANJUOLA
RICHARDSON, Texas–Twelve fine arts students from three ILTexas High Schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas have qualified to compete in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition in Austin, Texas on May 27. The students will compete in the band, orchestra, and choir events as solo performers for the chance to take home first, second, or third place wins.
“When we found out who made state, there were so many different reactions,” said Marcus Kester, Director of Guitar and Orchestra at ILTexas Keller-Saginaw High School (KSHS). “My favorite part was getting to see students who thought maybe they wouldn’t do well, get high marks, and everyone share in the victory for all the students who earned their state round participation.”
The ILTexas students heading to the UIL Austin competition are:
|
Arianna Figueroa |
GHS |
|
Acacia Huang |
GHS |
|
Amanda Polo |
GHS |
|
Lana Avalos |
GHS |
|
Joshua Coleman |
KSHS |
|
Juliana Mases |
KSHS |
|
Micheal Payan |
KSHS |
|
Jayden Chapa |
KSHS |
|
Gabriel Gomes |
KSHS |
|
Mateo Tirado |
KSHS |
|
Aaliyah McCaskill |
KWHS |
|
Nia Huey |
KWHS |
Created by the University of Texas at Austin, UIL “exists to provide educational extracurricular academic, athletic, and music contests,” according to their website. Founded in 1910, the organization hosts year-round competitions at the district, regional, and state levels for member-schools across the state of Texas. Qualifying students have the opportunity to compete in the academic, athletic, music, and spirit categories.
“In Texas, the UIL State Solo Music Contest is the highest honor a [music] student can achieve,” said Kerri Keller, Director of the ILTexas Fine Arts Program. “This is a tremendous achievement for the students and their teachers.”
Visit ILTexas.org for more campus news and events.