The University Interscholastic League (UIL) is the governing body in Texas that oversees all high school competition. It sets policy, develops materials, and offers service to school district in Texas. Sponsors and students must abide by all UIL rules as stated in the Constitution and Contest Rules, UIL Side By Side publication, UIL memos, UIL directives, and any other UIL staged policies. In academics, competition is offered on the district, regional, and state levels. UIL academic competition offers young people a wide variety of positive experiences that build character and confidence. Students acquire a practical, useful knowledge base and develop skills that last a life-time. Moreover, the knowledge and skills students learn in the UIL practices and competitions improve their performance in the classroom. Naturally, the benefits of involvement in UIL academic competition are commensurate with the time and effort expended by the student in preparation for the events. Academic activities sanctioned by the UIL are open to any high school student. All school rules apply at any UIL Academic function. UIL Sponsors may add additional requirements for the students they coach. Willful violation of any UIL and/or school rules may result in the disqualification of a student from the North Lamar UIL Academic Program.
Students must be passing all courses with the exception of identified advanced classes in order to participate in the UIL Academic program. Students lose eligibility for a three week period, which is defined as 15 class days. One, but only one, of the three school weeks may consist of only three or four class days, provided the school has been dismissed for a scheduled holiday period. Two class days does not constitute a school week. An exception is made for Thanksgiving if a school is on holiday Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The school week begins at 12:01 AM on the first instructional day of the calendar week, excluding holidays. Ineligible students must wait seven calendar days after a three week evaluation period and the grading period to regain eligibility. Students may regain eligibility an unlimited number of times throughout the school year. Passing means a minimum grade of 70 on all courses, except identified advanced classes. Spring break cannot be par of the three week evaluation process.
The following courses are identified as advanced and, as such, eligible for exemption as noted in section 33.081 of the Texas Education Code: any College Board Advanced Placement Course or International Baccalaureate Course; Honors Classes in the subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, economics or language other than English. A school district may voluntarily impose stricter standards than those cited by the Texas Education Agency.
Sponsors are chosen for their expertise, enthusiasm, and dedication to their discipline. They may set additional requirements in addition to those set by UIL or the school district as they deem appropriate to promote the integrity of their program.
Students who participate in UIL Academics are required to complete a permission form and return it to the sponsor signed by a parent or guardian. The form grants permission for the student to participate in UIL events and travel with school personnel. In addition, it grants permission for school officials to seek medical attention for students if necessary.

Students who commit to participation in UIL events and are unable to attend should make a reasonable effort to contact their sponsor to let them know they are unable to attend. Students who do not contact their sponsors and do not show just cause of a legitimate reason for missing the event are responsible for any fees lost and may forfeit the opportunity to participate in one or more events.
The school district will provide transportation for students to and from UIL events. Students may not convey themselves to UIL events, but may be conveyed by their parents or guardians. This type of arrangement must be made between the parent or guardian and sponsor prior to the UIL event. Students will be informed by the sponsor of a departure time and approximate returning time. When appropriate, the school district will provide the student with meals or meal money and lodging.
The UIL Academic Team hosts three academic tournaments during the course of the year. “Speakers in the Rue Morgue” is a UIL speech tournament presented the third Saturday of October. The Dr. Tommy Eads Invitational Academic Tournament offers all UIL events and is hosted the third weekend of January. The North Lamar Math/Science Meet offers number sense, calculator, math, and science the first Saturday of March.

ACADEMIC EVENTS

ACCOUNTING is a sixty minute contest that focuses on the elementary principles and practices of accounting for sole proprietorship, partnerships, and corporations. Topics covered include bookkeeping terminology, the work sheet with adjustments, income statement, balance sheet, account clarification, journalizing, posting, bank reconciliation, payroll, and other items related to the basic accounting cycle. The sponsor is Yvonne Parson.

CALCULATOR APPLICATIONS is a thirty minute contest that includes calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, roots, powers, exponentiation, logarithms, trigonometric functions, inverse trigonometric functions, iterative solutions for transcendental equations, differential and integral calculus, elementary statistics, and matrix algebra. In addition to straightforward calculations problems, the contest includes geometric and stated problems similar to those found in high school algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, and calculus textbooks. Materials from previous contests and other UIL materials related to the contest may be included in the contest. The sponsor is Marc Whitney.

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS is a thirty minute contest that focuses on word processing speed and accuracy, computer skills in database and spreadsheet, and integration of applications. Skills tested include formatting copy, mail merge, headers/footers, editing, proofreading, spreadsheet, graphs/charts, and integration of all applications. The sponsor is Jennifer Jones.

COMPUTER SCIENCE is a forty-five minute contest that requires students to under the significance of computation as well as the details of Java programming. In addition, students are encouraged to be alert to new technology and information, gain an understanding of the basic principles of computer science. The sponsor Yvonne Parson.



CURRENT ISSUES AND EVENTS is a sixty-minute contest that requires a basic knowledge of current state, national, and international events and issues. Students are asked to answer forty multiple choice questions and an essay question. Students are encouraged to understand the background of what is happening in the world and how it impacts citizens of the United States. The sponsor is Mark Caldwell.

LITERARY CRITICISM is a ninety minute contest that tests the students’ knowledge of literary history and critical terms, as well as their skill in literary critique. Students are expected to complete a reading list and must be able to analyze literary passages not on the reading list. The contest also includes a tie-breaker which requires the students to write a brief essay dealing with a specified topic regarding a short literary passage. The sponsor is Dr. Linda Winfrey.

MATHEMATICS is a forty minute contest composed of sixty multiple choice questions. The contest is designed to test the students’ knowledge and understanding in algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, math analysis, analytic geometry, pre-calculus, and elementary calculus. The sponsor is Kathy Stewart.

NUMBER SENSE is a ten minute contest composed of eighty questions drawn from all high school mathematics courses. Students are encouraged to develop short-cuts and practiced relentlessly in order to be successful. The sponsor is Mark Stellpflug.

READY WRITING is a two hour contest in which students write an expository essay responding to one of two prompt options. The prompts are excerpts from literature, publications, or speeches. Students are required to explain, prove, or explore the topic in a balanced way, allowing the argument and the evidence given to be the deciding factor in the paper. The sponsor is Angela Pendleton.

SCIENCE is a two hour contest to test students on a broad range of topics in the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics. Students are encouraged to read avidly in order to gain an understanding of the significance of experiments, to be alert to new discoveries, to gain an understanding of the basic principles, as well as the history and philosophy of science. Students are further encouraged to discovery the impact science has on the daily lives of individuals. The sponsor is Teresa Bussell.

SOCIAL STUDIES is a ninety minute contest in which students answer forty-five multiple choice questions and write an essay. The contest focuses on a specific topic or era. Students are expected to read a primary selection as well as selected documents to master a broad knowledge of the chosen topic or era. In addition, students are expected to understand general information and concepts in the fields of history, government, economics, and geography. The sponsor is Dennis Hodgkiss.

SPELLING AND VOCABULARY is a two hour, three part contest that consists of multiple choice questions covering proof-reading and vocabulary; spelling words dictated by a pronouncer; and a tie-breaker. Students study an extensive spelling list from the publication WordPower. The sponsor is Angela Pendleton.

JOURNALISM is actually four contests: News Writing, Feature Writing, Editorial Writing, and Headline Writing. Students may choose to participate in one or all four of the contests and must master the basic elements and distinct writing styles of each. Students are encouraged to read avidly and develop skills of critical reading and precise writing. Students are allowed forty-five minutes for the news, feature, and headline contests. They are allowed sixty minutes for feature contest. The journalism sponsor is Cheryl LaRue.

ONE ACT PLAY is a challenging contest in which students are limited to forty minutes to set up, perform, and strike a play. The cast may include as many as fifteen roles. In addition, there are four crew members to perform various technical roles. As many as four alternates may also be included. Students are encouraged to be very serious about drama and performing in the play as it requires a great many hours of dedicated work to be successful. The One Act Play directors are Laura Hutchings and Mark Russell.

CROSS EXAMINATION DEBATE trains students to analyze a problem, conduct a thorough and relevant research, and utilize principles of argumentation and advocacy in orally presenting the most effective case for or against a given proposition. Students are encouraged to develop critical thinking, as well as quick thinking skills. Students debate a nation-wide resolution selected by the National Federation of High Schools Topic Selection Committee. Students work with a partner to develop an affirmative case and train to present a negative position as well. Students are encouraged to be very serious about debate as it requires a great many hours of dedicated work to be successful. The sponsor is Kristi Hodgkiss.

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE is a one-on-one contest in which students debate a resolution selected by the UIL Lincoln-Douglas Debate advisory committee. There is one resolution for the fall and another for the spring. Students are trained to develop argumentation, persuasion, research, and analysis skills. In addition, students are encouraged to develop a direct and communicative style of oral delivery. Students must develop affirmative and negatives cases on a value proposition. Students are encouraged to build a broad knowledge base in philosophy. Students are encouraged to be very serious about debate as it requires a great many hours of dedicated work to be successful. The sponsor is Kristi Hodgkiss.

INFORMATIVE SPEAKING teaches students to present extemporaneously in a clear and impartial manner the facts of a topic as they appear in the best available source of information. The student is encouraged to present a speech in an interesting and no attempt should be made to change the listener’s point of view beyond presenting information. Student speeches are limited to seven minutes. The sponsor is Kristi Hodgkiss.
PERSUASIVE SPEAKING teaches students to present extemporaneously a speech that seeks to persuade listeners. Students are trained to analyze a point of view, organize a speech, and deliver a persuasive speech, with the goal of bringing those of neutral or opposing views around to the speaker’s point of view. Student’s speeches are limited to seven minutes. The sponsor is Kristi Hodgkiss.

POETRY INTERPRETATION trains students to explore the nature of poetry and present poetry selections orally in a style and manner that enhances the audience’s appreciation for the selections. Students are limited to seven minutes for presentation of the selection. The sponsor is Pam Tuttle.

PROSE INTERPRETATION trains students to explore the nature of prose and present prose selections orally in a style and manner that enhances the audience’s appreciation for the selections. Students are limited to seven minutes for presentation of the selection. The sponsor is Pam Tuttle.

For questions or information regarding the North Lamar High School UIL Academic program, please contact:

Dennis Hodgkiss, UIL Coordinator
North Lamar High School
3201 Lewis Lane
Paris, Texas 75460
(903) 737-2011 – office
(903) 669-0119 – fax
dhodgkiss@northlamar.net