Freedom to achieve

Freedom to achieve Subhead Clifton High School celebrates academic UIL achievements Nathan Diebenow Editor Wed, 06/19/2024 - 06:37 Image

• Clifton High School recently recognized students Riley Ball, Sophia Ritzman, Jocelyn 'Skye' Baker, Tomas 'Ivy' Tremillo, and Erica Li (from left) for their achievements at UIL academic competition this school year. Photo Courtesy by Clifton High School

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Clifton High School on Thursday, May 9, held an awards ceremony to honor the exceptional achievements of its students in various UIL academic competitions throughout the year.

The ceremony commenced with UIL Academic Coordinator Gaye Lynn Seawright, who presented certificates to students who participated in multiple competitions, acknowledging their dedication and hard work.

Additionally, medals were distributed to top performers in specific events.

“I’d like to thank you all for putting out the energy and the effort to get up so early, be on the bus, and be there on time, and then do well on your competition,” Seawright said.

Student achievements

The highlight of the event was the announcement of individual and team accomplishments in various competitions.

In total, the school participated in three major invitationals (Connally, Midway, and Grandview) and the Best of Texas contest, where several students placed highly in state-wide rankings.

Notable achievements at Connally included: Skye Baker (First place in Computer Applications and first place in Headline Writing); Tomas Tremillo (Third place in Computer Applications); Jamie Dunlap (Second place in Computer Applications); Justin Packebush (Seventh place in Computer Applications); Erica Li (First place in News Writing at Midway and Second in Feature Writing).

Notable achievements at Midway included: Tomas Tremillo (First Place in Computer Applications); Erica Li (First in News Writing at Midway, Second in Feature Writing, Fourth in Feature Writing, Fifth in Computer Science); Chelsea Canapi (First place in Ready Writing, Second in Computer Science); Teague Blanton (First in Computer Science); Skye Baker (Fourth in Headline Writing); Ethan Kobe (Fifth in Persuasive Speaking).

Notable achievements at Grandview included: Skye Baker (First place in Computer Applications); Tomas Tremillo (Second in Computer Applications); Justin Packebush (Third in Computer Applications).

Best of Texas

In the Best of Texas competition, Justin Packebush placed third in the state in computer applications; Jake Dunlap, fourth in computer applications; Jocelyn Baker, third place overall in computer applications; Tomas Tremillo, fourth place in computer applications; and Teague Blanton, third place overall in state in computer science.

In overall 3A schools, Teage Blanton placed seventh.

District competition

In district competition, the computer apps team’s Jocelyn Baker placed first, Tomas Tremillo second, and Justin Packebush seventh.

In computer science, Teague Blanton placed fourth, Chelsea Canapi eighth, and Erica Li 11th. The team of Blanton, Canapi, and Li placed second overall.

In feature writing, Riley Ball placed first, Erica Li fifth, and Chelsea Canapi sixth. In news writing, Erica Li placed first and Riley Ball second. In headline writing, Jocelyn Baker placed fourth and Riley Ball fifth. The journalism team placed second overall.

In science, Jocelyn Baker placed 12th, Elijah Schartz 15th, Jonah Payne 19th, Kendall Hunt 31st, and Odin Webb 32nd. Clifton’s science team placed sixth overall. Jocelyn Baker placed third overall in physics.

In persuasive speaking, Ethan Covey placed fifth and Tristan Ward sixth. In informative speaking, Sophia Ritzman placed third, Johanna Freiss fourth, and Ashtin Shelton fifth. The speech team placed third overall.

In overall sweepstakes, Clifton placed fifth out of 10 public schools with 154 points.

Regional, state competition

The school celebrated the advancement of five students to the regional competition held at Blinn College.

These students recognized for their outstanding performance, included: Riley Ball (Feature Writing and News Writing); Sophia Ritzmann (Informative Speaking); Tomas Tremillo (Computer Applications); Jocelyn Baker (Computer Applications); and Erica Li (News Writing).

This culminated in an impressive overall performance, with the five students placing 19th out of 68 schools at regionals, with the journalism team finishing fourth.

During their visit to College Station for the regional competition, the students also toured the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, adding an educational and historical dimension to their trip.

Riley Ball place second in both Feature Writing and News Writing, earning a spot in both events at the State Meet in Austin on May 13. At the State meet, Ball placed sixth overall in Feature Writing.

Faculty acknowledgments

A significant part of the ceremony was dedicated to recognizing the efforts of the faculty members who coached and guided the students.

Among those honored were Charlene Conrad (Math), Michael Wetegrove (Computer Applications), Jen DeJong (Computer Science), Ted Jones (Social Studies), Brett Voss (Journalism), and Annbel Murillo (Ready Writing, One-Act Play, Feature Writing), Fatima Cathcart (Spelling), Mario Villalpando (Current Issues and Events), Howard Bennette (Math), and Imilda Sarate (Science) whose dedication significantly contributed to the students' successes.

The ceremony concluded with a heartfelt round of applause for all participants, coaches, and supporters.

“We are very proud to see the hard work these students and all of the students who competed at the District level,” CHS Principal Jimmy Jackson said. “They put a great deal of hard work and preparation into their events.”

He continued, “CHS would also like to thank our UIL Coordinator Gaye Lynn Seawright and the UIL Coaches for getting these students prepared for competition. We are in a very competitive UIL District, so it is quite an accomplishment to advance to the Regional and the State Levels.”

Future plans

As the event closed, the attendees were treated to lunch provided by the school.

Plans are already underway for the next academic year, with hopes to build on the current achievements and aim for even higher accolades.