Rhonda Alves
Assistant Academic Director

Increasing participation in the elementary and junior high academic program has been a goal for me since I began working for UIL in July 1999, and the number of campuses re-turning participation cards has increased by 28 percent. The number of district meets has increased significantly this year, also. All that is really good news, but there are still a lot of campuses not involved in UIL.

The Texas Legislature is also concerned about the lack of participation in academic-related activities in various parts of the state. To that end, it appropriated money to be disseminated through the Texas Education Agency to foster participation at campuses which do not currently participate in academic activities and which have high rates of disadvantaged students. Some of that money has come to UIL.

State Representative Scott Hochberg, a member of the House Committee on Public Education, was the key legislator behind the allocation. "With all the emphasis on TAAS, schools sometimes neglect students who want to go beyond the basic curriculum," he said. "Academic competitions can fill that gap by inspiring students to stretch their minds and giving teachers a welcome break from teaching to the test. I hope this funding will allow UIL to bring academic competition to schools that otherwise wouldn’t provide that opportunity to their students."

To simplify all this description -- we have received some extra money to help encourage elementary and junior highs to participate. It has also added to my job.

I cannot begin to express how excited I am about this project. The League was not awarded the grant until this January, and all work on the grant must be completed (the money must be spent) by Aug. 31. Umhum...you guessed it. I am taking the show on the road!

UIL will conduct a series of workshops for teachers and administrators from 14 school districts in this phase of the project. All campuses represented at the training must participate in a district meet in the 2002-2003 school year. If the results are positive, the grant has a chance of being renewed for the 2003-2004 school year, and we can assist more school districts. Let me know if your school district meets the criteria and is interested.

It will be "Amarillo by Morning" and "El Paso City" along with other tuneful trips for the next few months. ‘My bags are packed and I’m ready to go’ and I sleep with my calendar so that I won’t forget anything. My assistant keeps a tight rein on my schedule, thank goodness!

The grant benefits children, and that really is what the League is all about. Research reveals that students who participate in extracurricular activities are more likely to graduate from high school than are those students who do not participate. As teachers, I don’t need to tell you that all the events are appropriate for classroom activities with all students. It shouldn’t only be about medals and district championships: creative writing is something most second- and third-graders enjoy. While the abilities of children (and adults) vary widely if only something small is achieved, it is still a step forward.

Storytelling comes naturally to most children (In my family, the term is a euphemism for lying). I know my son can tell a whopper or two. And my brother, odd child that he was, was forever burying imaginary friends in the sandbox (he has not exhibited this proclivity as an adult). Just think--a positive medium for all those "windies" (more jargon).

We want students to write and write and write. So we use ready writing in the classroom. Does it really matter if all the essays aren’t first place material? Extend the time for number sense and use it in math class. Improv-ing communication skills is a focus for the education and business communities so model oral reading and let them have at it. You may swear off Dr. Seuss for the rest of your life, but it is a small price to pay. After all, Larry McMurtry isn’t exactly fourth-grade material.

If you are interested in serving as a presenter at a workshop, let me know. Texas is a big state, and I can certainly use the help. We’ll feed you and may be able to pay your way. I know it probably isn’t what you are worth, but it isn’t part of your contract, either.

Switching gears--Nystrom has a new Atlas of United States History for the 2002-2003 school year. They also offer a CD-ROM Outline Map Library and other materi-als to aid the classroom teacher. Check out their web site at www.nystromnet.com.

For those of you frantically trying to determine if a piece of literature is actually prose or poetry, look up the title in the Library of Congress Online Catalog at www.catalog.loc.gov/. It is the final word on catalogued material in the United States and an amazing resource.

The first elementary and junior high academic advi-sory committee meets in Austin Feb. 13. The agenda includes the development of specific criteria for the science contests, consideration of a multi-year music memory list and the possible addition of a social studies contest. If you have suggestions on these or any other aspects of the program, e-mail me at rsalves@mail.utexas.edu.

Thanks to all of you who spend your days encouraging kids to stretch themselves. What you do is invaluable, and I respect you so much.