Scientists shook the academic world today when they released the first photo of a black hole. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s probably because it coincided with a press release of larger gravity: Jesuit’s success at the UIL Academic District Meet.
On Friday, March 29, Prosper High School hosted the annual UIL Academic District Meet. Students from schools around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex participated in forty-two different competitions ranging from cross-examination to one-act play to number sense.
Juniors Dagamawe Daniel, Rawley Schott, and Will Florer competed in the Ready Writing competition, in which students are allotted two hours to develop an essay using only their prior knowledge of literature and other influential works. Of the twenty-one competitors, Schott placed fourth and Florer sixth.
Though Daniel did not place in the top six, his English teacher and the director of UIL Academics Ms. Farrell complimented his writing skill: “I read his essay and thought it showed great insight.”
Regarding the UIL Academic Meet experience, Schott commented:
“Competing was all-around a great experience. I learned how great of English scholars my teammates Dagamawe and Will are, and I’m proud of how well we performed last Saturday. We got a great prompt for the writing competition, and I felt very prepared answering it with the books I’d read at Jesuit. I completely recommend the competition to anyone who enjoys writing.”
Florer echoed similar sentiment, adding:
“I’ve always enjoyed English as a subject in school, but I’d never been asked to participate in a formula competition where I would have to showcase my skills in analysis and writing, so I was slightly nervous for the event. But being there with two of my best friends, Rawley and Dag, helped ease this tension and thankfully I was able to give my all to the contest.”
The top three students advance to Regionals, but since some of them cannot attend, Florer moved into third and will represent Jesuit at the upcoming Regional meet this Saturday in Waco, Texas. Ms. Farrell expressed her confidence in Florer’s writing skill:
“Will has been reading sample essays to prepare as the style and structure is different from the literary essay he is accustomed to writing at Jesuit. His writing skills are excellent, but this competition will require him to adapt those skills while also referencing a variety of sources – not just literature. Considering his knowledge of plays, history, literature, and current events, I think he will be able to pull from various sources to write a winning essay! Students receive two topics and choose one to write on for two hours. The top 3 at Regionals move on to the State Competition in May.”
The Roundup wishes Florer the best of luck at the Regionals and extends its congratulations to Dagamawe Daniel and Rawley Schott for their success in the competition. Stay tuned to The Roundup for more accolades from Jesuit’s student body.
