March 30, 2026 - Shelbyville High School students competed at the District 24AA University Interscholastic League (UIL) Academic Spring Meet held on March 26th at Stephen F. Austin State University. Shelbyville competitors scored points in nineteen academic contests, qualified twenty-eight students for the Region III-AA Academic UIL Meet, scored 751total points and captured the District Championship.
Brynn Bickham was District 24AA Academic UIL high point individual. She scored 100 individual points when she placed 1st in News Writing, Ready Writing, Feature Writing, and Headline Writing, 2nd in Editorial Writing and Copy Editing, 4th in Literary Criticism, and All Star Cast One Act Play.
Shelbyville students receiving medals at the district meet:
Accounting
Caleb Jamison – 1st Place
Calculator Applications
Ethan Jackson – 3rd Place
Samantha Lugo-Martinez – 4th Place
Calculator Applications Team- 2nd Place
Ethan Jackson
Samantha Lugo-Martinez
Caleb Jamison
Aiden Swindle
Copy Editing
Brynn Bickham – 2nd Place
Cassidy Greer – 3rd Place
Current Issues & Events
Kaden Sims – 2nd Place
Kennedy McArthur – 5th Place
Current Issues & Events Team – 2nd Place
Kaden Sims
Kennedy McArthur
Payton McGee
Harley Risinger
Editorial Writing
Brynn Bickham – 2nd Place
Sophie Ellington – 3rd Place
Cassidy Greer – 5th Place
Feature Writing
Brynn Bickham – 1st Place
Sophie Ellington – 5th
Haeli Gregory – 6th Place
Headline Writing
Brynn Bickham – 1st Place
Harley Risinger – 2nd Place
Cassidy Greer – 5th Place
Informative Speaking
Kennedy McArthur – 1st Place
Travis Caporali – 2nd Place
Payton McGee – 3rd Place
Journalism Team – 1st Place
Brynn Bickham
Sophie Ellington
Cassidy Greer
Haeli Gregory
Harley Risinger
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Kennedy McArthur – 1st Place
Kaden Sims – 2nd Place
Payton McGee – 3rd Place
Literary Criticism
Ryleigh Bowlds – 2nd Place
Brynn Bickham – 4th Place
Literary Criticism Team – 1st Place
Rileigh Bowlds
Brynn Bickham
Ja’Rihanna Cartwright
Suzannah Naw
Mathematics
Caleb Jamison – 1st Place
Ethan Jackson – 2nd Place
Aiden Swindle – 3rd Place
Hayden Page – 4th Place
Mathematics Team 1st Place
Caleb Jamison
Ethan Jamison
Aiden Swindle
Hayden Page
Newswriting
Brynn Bickham – 1st Place
Sophie Ellington – 3rd place
Cassidy Greer – 4th Place
Number Sense
Ethan Jackson – 1st Place
Hayden Page – 2nd Place
Aiden Swindle – 3rd Place
Gaylon Harrison – 4th Place
Number Sense Team – 1st Place
Ethan Jackson
Hayden Page
Aiden Swindle
Gaylon Harrison
Persuasive Speaking
Maddie Lout – 1st Place
Kaden Sims – 2nd Place
Gaylon Harrison – 3rd Place
Poetry Interpretation
Preslee Sims – 1st Place
Travis Caporali – 2nd Place
Addison Sowell – 4th Place
Prose Interpretation
Irinna Herrera – 1st Place
Trinity Sims – 2nd Place
Ready Writing
Brynn Bickham – 1st Place
Reagan Raines – 2nd Place
Sophie Ellington – 3rd Place
Science
Cheyenne Berlin – 1st Place
Angelli Ortiz – 2nd Place
Michael Nichols – 6th Place
Biology
Cheyenne Bowlds – 1st place
Angelli Ortiz – 2nd Place
Ethan Jackson – 5th Place
Chemistry
Cheyenne Berlin – 1st Place
Angelli Ortiz – 5th Place
Physics
Cheyenne Berlin – 2nd Place (tie)
Michael Nichols – 2nd Place (tie)
Science Team – 1st Place
Cheyenne Berlin
Angelli Ortiz
Michael Nichols
Ethan Jackson
Social Studies
Wesley Matthews – 5th Place
Speech Team – 1st Place
Travis Caporali
Gaylon Harrison
Irianna Herrera
Maddie Lout
Kennedy McArthur
Payton McGee
Kaden Sims
Preslee Sims
Trinity Sims
Addison Sowell
First, second and third place individual medalists and first place team members will compete at the 2026 Region III-AA Academic Regional Spring Meet at Panola College on April 24th.
Shelbyville Academic UIL coaches attending the regional meet: Brooke Davis (Science), Cole Harrison (Number Sense, Mathematics), Crystal Harrison (Calculator Applications), Megan Holt (Accounting), Dominique Roland (Literary Criticism), Emily Sowell (Current Issues & Events, Informative Speaking, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Persuasive Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, Prose Interpretation), Claire Windham (Copy Editing, Editorial Writing, Feature Writing, Headline Writing, News Writing, Ready Writing).
“Students who compete in UIL events devote countless hours preparing for UIL academic competition”, said Dr. David Stevens, UIL director of academics. “Like their athletic counterparts, they practice before, during and after school and attend invitational meets and competitions. For virtually every school in Texas, it serves as an extension to the regular classroom for highly motivated, intelligent young men and women.”
“The UIL schedules a greater variety of contests, holds larger meets, and provides services to more students than any similar program in the nation. The UIL offers contests in 23 academic events, including Cross-Examination Debate. “In its own way, each contest is intended to teach the thinking skills students will need in college and in their careers,” Stevens said. “We have tremendous anecdotal evidence from students who testify to the importance UIL academic contests played in their high school careers. We also know that employers want workers who can solve problems, speak effectively and write clearly. Each contest is designed to help students reach those goals.”
