Category: UIL

Education / UIL / Featured

Jimmy Carter Early College High School U.I.L. Team Wins Grand Champion Title in District 32-4A Competition

The Jimmy Carter Early College High School U.I.L. team has emerged as the grand champion in the veteran 32-4A competition on March 25th and 26th. Over ten schools and 200 students participated in various events, including computer science, ready writing, copy editing, current issues and events, editorial writing, feature writing, accounting, calculators, headline writing, mathematics, news writing, number sense, prose interpretation, science, spelling, and journalism.
The Jimmy Carter Early College High School team excelled in the competition, winning first place in editorial, news, and journalism and second place in current issues and events, LD debate and headline writing. The team also secured several other top-five placements across different categories. The first through third place advanced to the regional competition, while the first place team went directly to the regional competition.
Principal Claudia Gomez-Perez said, “Winning the grand champion title is a testament to our students and coaches’ hard work and dedication. Their commitment to excellence and teamwork is truly commendable. We are proud of our U.I.L. team and look forward to their future success.”
In the novice U.I.L. District 32-4A competition, held simultaneously, Jimmy Carter Early College High School students also performed admirably, securing top placements in copy editing, feature writing, news writing, headline writing, editorial writing, and number sense 9th.
“We congratulate our novice U.I.L. team on their outstanding performance in the competition,” said Campus UIL Coordinator Iván Silva. “We are confident that with continued hard work and dedication, they will go on to achieve great success in future competitions.”
The school’s U.I.L. team’s achievement in the competition is a matter of pride for the school community. The school administration hopes that it will inspire other students to excel in their academic pursuits.

Student Life / Student Profile / Sports / Education / UIL / Community / Carter Update

Junior Ivan S. Caught in Action

This entry is part 3 of 18 in the series RedWolves in the Wild

Student-Athlete Ivan S. plays for La Joya High School while also attending Carter. Ivan plays running back on the team.” The game against Mission High School at La Joya ISD Stadium on Nov. 3, 2022 marked the end of the team’s season.”It feels good in a way but there’s a new page to be read now. As a team, we have to get stronger faster and grow stronger mentally. All that during our off-season to be ready for next year.” Ivan looks forward to next year’s season.

Students listening to a lecture Photo by: Ivan Silva

Student Profile / Education / UIL / Community

RedWolves Advice: Dealing with academic stress

As the spring semester starts slow and shaky, the lure of mid-year exams and finals are still on people’s minds, not even to mention the added stress of other academic responsibilities. Whether that be UIL or just applying to different colleges and scholarships.
Junior class parliamentarian Dominique Brown is no stranger to this type of stress. Since around the second grade, she has been in UIL, only joining because coaches needed more people to participate in the spelling event. She decided to try out ready writing and journalism when she entered high school.
“I’d say I’m pretty decent at it. There are things I can still improve on, but I still end up receiving 1st through 3rd place most of the time.” Brown said.
She says that while she will have to worry about writing college essays eventually, her experience from the events will help her format the papers properly. Writing those essays would become less complicated because she has already learned to make her writing fit well with each other.
UIL meets naturally highly stressful. You have to sit in the same room with all the people who you’ll have to compete with. “The room is dead silent, so it’s you with all your thoughts, and it gets a little suffocating.”
To deal with this feeling, Brown says she’ll usually zone out and think about different books she has read in the past, thinking about whether she could use any of them as an example in her ready writing competition. During her journalism events, she’ll spend a little time staring at one specific word or sentence to see how she could change it to fit better with what she’s writing. But most importantly, she breathes calmly for a few minutes and then continues.
“I do feel like if I don’t do as good as I normally do, then I’ll disappoint myself,” Brown continued. “I tend to compare myself to past me and to others around me, so whenever I think I don’t do as good as how I’ve done before, I shut down and ‘face’ the truth. But then the results come back, and it’s not as bad as I made it out to be.”
To encourage others not to give in to this mindset, she says she’d tell others that their mistakes will not be the end of the world.
“They tried their best, and at the end of the day, their coaches are still proud of them for trying. It doesn’t determine whether or not you’re a failure.”

Carolina Amador posing with autumn decorations in JCECHS student union

Student Profile / UIL / Community / Leo’s Club

Carolina Amador, a proud volunteer

Carolina Amador is involved in countless communities despite personal responsibilities, deadlines, college, and high school courses. These include UIL, FBLA, the Leo Club, and volunteering at the nonprofit organization Cancer Kids First.

Amador joined the student council because she wanted to help her peers voice their concerns or opinions. Cancer Kids First and the Leo’s Club allow her to help her community. She feels a sense of attachment to the clubs because they allowed her to receive help from others. She wants to be able to repay the favor to her community.

UIL and FBLA give her a chance to ‘unleash my competitive side’ academically. She says they let her relax and gain skills she knows she can use in the future.

“My absolute favorite part of the student council, Leo’s Club, and the Cancer Kids First organization is the fact that I get to help out others,” Amador said. “My favorite part about UIL and FBLA is the competitive rush that I get.”

She said that she would encourage others to consider joining these organizations.

“I would say to them that by being in these organizations, they will not only get to relish the fact that they will make positive changes to their environment, but they will also be able to have lots of fun!”

Education / Opinion / UIL / Community

Student Opinion: UIL Season Starts At JCECHS

As UIL season kicks off, students are “Eager to participate” in the events, according to a member of the Ready Writing team Mia ‘Onyx’ Mendoza.

Each Monday and Tuesday, the school cafeteria holds a few dozen students waiting for their meetings to begin despite the first meet being weeks away.

Junior student Dominique Brown calls UIL a “Nice opportunity for children to get together and have a friendly competition between each other and also work on their skills.” She also said that because competitions won’t be face-to-face, students will be more relaxed when competing.

A Mission Veterans Memorial High School student says that the current pandemic should not keep people from enjoying a competition between schools. He also said that everything would be fine as long as students and faculty follow the rules set forward by school districts.

Jesus Menchaca, a sophomore student, says that he hopes to accomplish the goal he set for himself. He also hopes to make his teachers proud with everything he does.

Member of the debate and science team Luis Martinez believes that the year is good. He also says he enjoys how the year is going.

“I think that UIL is a different way for kids to learn sportsmanship,” Freshman student Janet Gomez said, “I’ve been doing science UIL all my middle school years, I was able to learn things that I would later acquire in the future.”

Representatives of UIL JCECHS UIL Academics Teams

School Pride / Education / UIL / Community / Contest / Carter Update

Carter Takes Top Win at UIL District 32-4A Meet

Jimmy Carter Early College High School makes a historic event winning U.I.L. Academics District 32-4A Champion title for the 2020-2021 year.

            Carter students have advanced to regionals and state in years prior, but this is the first district title as a campus.

            “As a campus, we are proud of this feat. Our RedWolves demonstrated true leadership and endurance as they persevered amid a global pandemic and kept to their commitment to themselves, coaches, team and the school,” said Ivan Silva campus U.I.L. Co-Coordinator.

Education / UIL / Community

Carter UIL Beginning …

Carter UIL season will begin next week, and many students lack information on the program benefits. 

As posted on their website UIL (University Interscholastic League) is an extracurricular competition program that covers a wide selection of academic areas against students from other schools within their district.

Students and coaches involved in UIL agree that confidence and learning are enhanced.

Placing in UIL helps with scholarship applications and gives students experience with real-life use of their school work.