With 29 years of expe­rience under her belt, it’s safe to say Shannon Hughes knows a thing or two about University Interscholastic League (UIL). She put those skills to use last week as she coordinates the annual districtwide elementary aca­demic contest.

Students in grades 2nd through 5th from Godwin, Harper, Lacy, Lowe and Smith competed against each other in several aca­demic events.

“My favorite thing about UIL is working with kids and getting them excited about academics,” said Mrs. Hughes, who has been the elementary UIL coordina­tor for PISD for the past 11 years. “There are so many events to choose from that every student can find some­thing they’re interested in doing.”

For this year, because of COVID restrictions, UIL was conducted last week on all five campuses, instead of one central location, and stu­dents competed over a three-day period. The judges came together on the final day to judge.

Despite losing five days of preparation because of the winter weather, Mrs. Hughes said the contests began on schedule, and the students were ready.

“Winning takes a lot of practice for the students and coaches involved,” Mrs. Hughes said. “Students practice before school, af­ter school and during Pride Time. And for some con­tests, they practice at home, because we can send the kids with a dictionary and a prac­tice test.”

For the full story, see the Mar. 4 issue or subscribe online.

By Jean Ann Collins • [email protected]