Bobby Hawthorne
Academics Director

During a 7-day period last spring, the Austin American- Statesman ran approximately 1,334 column inches of copy about the state athletic meets and tournaments. During a comparable period of time, they ran perhaps 25 col-umn inches of copy about state academic contests.

I mention this only to make a point. I’m not bitter. High school athletes deserve all the copy they can get.

At the same time, it grates when the same newspaper runs pious editorials about balancing athletics and academic priorities. For example, the Statesman editorial writers, who clearly are in major denial about the media’s role in setting and maintaining those priorities, intoned, "Texas and other sports powerhouses ...can take positive steps to realign sports with the overall aims of the university, insist upon academic rigor and wrest control from broadcasters and commercial interests."

Has the newspaper itself taken positive steps to realign sports coverage with coverage of the overall aims of the university? Or with any public or private academic institution, primary, secondary or post-secondary? Of course not. Its coverage of UT is limited to high-ranking appointments, guest speakers, fires in Welch Hall and Longhorn athletics. Its high school coverage is even more lopsided.

Apparently, the newsroom paradigm holds that read-ers care who won the 5A state pie tossing championship, even if the winner resides 500 miles away. Readers here do not care who won the 5A state number sense cham-pionship, even if the winner resides around the corner.

‘Tis frustrating and I’m not sure what to do or can be done about it. Perhaps we might change "feature writing contest" to something like the "Vonderheid Prize." This sounds prestigious, don’t you think? I assure you, it will be more rigorous and newsworthy than the Turner Prize for contemporary art, which, according to a story in the Dallas Morning News, was presented to minimalist artist Martin Creed. His winning piece? An empty gallery whose ceiling lights flash at five-second intervals.

"The judges praised its ‘strength, rigor, wit and sensitivity to the site’ "and Mr. Creed’s ‘audacity’ in presenting just a single work," the AP reported.

This contest is open to British artists under 50 who have exhibited during the previous 12 months, none of whom I’m sure subscribe to the Dallas Morning News. Asked to describe his winning piece, Creed said, "I think people can make of it what they like. I don’t think it is for me to explain it."

This is news. Covering high school academic contests isn’t unless the newspaper sponsored the contest itself. Then, it’s news.

You figure it out.

This spring (and I hope this reaches you prior to the academic regional meets), contact your local media and insist that they cover academic contestants, and not just UIL but all academic competitors: FFA, Student Congress, Math Counts, whatever. Raise a stink. This doesn’t require that they sacrifice a column inch of copy they’d normally devote to athletics. Heck, we’re talking about a lot of the same kids, particularly in small schools. But academic contestants dedicate as much time and effort to their activity as anyone else and deserve to be recognized. Sadly, it won’t happen unless you insist upon it.

Moving on... Recipients of the UIL/Southwestern Bell UIL Sponsor Excellence Award were listed in last month’s Leaguer. The award was established in 1991 to identify and recognize outstanding educators whom through UIL music, academic and athletic activities help students develop and refine their talents and skills, to become better leaders and citizens.

Their words, not mine.

One of the best indicators of success in high school, college and beyond is participation in extracurricular activities, whether it’s baseball, choir, drill team or yearbook. Study after study has proven this.

Southwestern Bell became the official sponsor of this award in 1997.

What makes the UIL academic program so special, apart from the fact that it is the only program of its type and scope in the nation, is how important it is in preparing young people for life in college and beyond. These young people dedicate themselves to excellence, knowing that they’re just as likely as not to get their names in the newspaper (unless you raise a stink; see earlier comments). They sacrifice their weeknights and weekends, readying novels, studying dictionaries and spelling word lists, working endless math problems, poring over newspapers and newsmagazines, practicing speeches and debates.

It makes them better students, better leaders. It gives them self-confidence. It teaches them that through hard work, they can achieve a goal and in the process, acquire important new learning, new understanding.

Basically, a principal is allowed to nominate one person per year. Of the total nominated each year, approximately 75 percent coach UIL academic contests. Among the 15 recipients this year were two or three journalism advisers, a couple of speech coaches, an accounting coach, several math/science coaches and an English teacher who coaches ready writing and literary criticism. Most of them coach more than one contest, and several of them double as campus UIL academic directors as well.

It’s been our policy to present the award to the recipient at his or her school, either during a board meeting, a faculty reception or a special assembly. I’ve made a number of these presentations, and the one thing that strikes me is how admired and respected these teachers are, how important they are in their schools and community, how loved they are.

They arrive every morning before sunrise, devote their lunch break and time after school working with students, get up at 4 or 5 a.m. on Saturdays and spend the rest of the day on a school bus or drive their own cars to invitational meets in some far-flung corner of the state. They spend thousands of hours writing tests, hosting meets and raising money to support their programs. They beg, borrow or in some other way creatively appropriate the materials and equipment they need in order for their students to compete and succeed.

They’re part best friend, part parent, part child psy-chologist, part zoo keeper. They demonstrate and teach character, dedication and diligence. Public education works because of these men and women, and the UIL is fortunate to have them participate in its program. Of course, nothing happens without support from the top. Schools like Bridge City, Valley View, Bridgeport, Lindsay and Lindale consistently win because they have support at the highest level of administration. One example: Klein High School. The principal, Robert Grove, has five State Meet gold medals encased and hanging on the wall of his office, each representing a state team academic championship Klein’s won since 1993, including the past four in a row.

Grove pushes UIL academics. He recruits excellent coaches like Josie Mallery, and he supports them. He lets students know that UIL academics is a priority. Last spring, he told me, "When students ask me for a favor, to write a letter of recommendation for example, I tell them that they must do something for me in return: compete in UIL academics."

The results speak for themselves. The school doesn’t get a lot of local ink for its academic prowess, but students in the school -- particularly the upper echelon students -- understand that in terms of winning a state chemistry or literary criticism championship, substance is more important than celebrity. In today’s society, this is a lesson all students should learn.

We’re all fortunate to have a superintendent like Don Hendrix of Crosby serving on the UIL Legislative Council. A month or so ago, Don called, wanting to know if being nominated for a crown award by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association was a "real award" or one of those "Who’s Who" scams.

"It’s a real award," I assured him, given to perhaps the top one percent of student publications nationally. In these cash strapped times, he found the money to send the adviser and a couple of students to New York City to attend the CSPA convention, held on the Columbia University campus and accept a Gold Crown, its highest honor.

That’s the kind of support I wish for all coaches and advisers.

Not too long ago, I received the following e-mail: "I have a general concern. It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit both dedicated students and dedicated sponsors. Is this a local problem, or have you had similar concerns from others? What do you suggest?"

"Success in recruiting sponsors and students for UIL academics will correlate to the emphasis placed on it by the administration," I answered. "If sponsors are not paid a nominal stipend and are neither recognized nor appreciated for their efforts, then they will not want to participate in UIL. Ditto for students. But if the admin-istration makes it clear that success in UIL is a priority, then teachers will respond, and students will respond."

And if at some point they get their names in the newspaper, so much the better.