Saturdays start early for the UIL team on competition days. This Saturday, the team was expected to be at the school at 6:15 a.m., with the first competition in Flower Mound starting at 8:00 a.m.

With the meets starting early in the morning, the day is spent drinking coffee, eating snacks, studying, and hanging out with fellow team members for most of the competitors.

The UIL Social Studies team studying for their competition, which includes a multiple choice section and an essay on World War I, the chosen topic area for this year.

The UIL team is coached by teachers that correspond to the subject area. Coaches lead meetings for the teams and help students prepare for the competitions.

Senior Bill Zhao placed second in Computer Science at the meet Saturday. Zhao was a regional qualifier for Computer Science during his junior year.

Senior Henry Youtt receives his first place medal for Headline Writing. Youtt was the district champion for Headline Writing last year.

The UIL Journalism team placed first overall at the invitational meet on Saturday. It’s the first time in over four years that the Journalism team has won an invitational meet.