WISD honors students for state, regional success
Several Waxahachie ISD students were recognized at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting for their recent successes.
The Waxahachie High School UIL journalism team shined at the UIL Class 6A Academic State Meet, winning the UIL Conference 6A state championship. The team made up of Morgan Lenamond, Maven Navarro, Katie Walker, Riley Sanchez and Owen Bartosh.
Lenamond won first place in both the headline writing and feature writing categories and third place in copy editing. She was the regional champion in copy editing, feature writing, headline writing and news writing.
Navarro was the regional champion in editorial writing, Walker was the third in the region writing news, Bartosh was the third in the region editing the copy and fifth was the extemporaneous informative speaking in the region, and Sanchez was the third in the region ready writing. The team is led by teacher Chrisanna Melick.
Also at the Academic State Meet, Tatiana Davis represented WHS in the speech competition. She was the regional champion in prose interpretation.
The Waxahachie High School One Act Play team placed second at the UIL Class 6A State One Act Play Competition for its “A Monster Calls.” There were 249 plays that entered the contest. Noah Elsom was named Class 6A’s Best Performer and winner of the Samuel French Award. Omari Crocker was named to the Class 6A All Star Cast.
Felty Elementary’s Brittani Kasey, campus UIL coordinator, Ashley Gabbard, campus assistant principal, and Brittany Griffith, campus principal, were recognized as the school’s first in the district’s academic contest.
Dax Lott and Jaxon Robinson were recognized for their performances at the UIL State Powerlifting Meet.
Lott, who competes in the 165-pound weight class, was a regional qualifier and set a regional bench record by bench pressing 450 pounds. He was also a state qualifier and broke the state record at 460 pounds. He owns six school records.
Robinson, who is in the 275-pound weight class, was a regional qualifier and set a school record in the bench press with 475 pounds. That is the most searched at the school by any lifter. He also lifted 470 pounds, breaking a regional record that had been since 1995.
WISD also honored five qualifiers for the UIL Class 6A State VASE event – Brissa Martinez, Leah Rasor, Meredith Hallett and Elena Rojas.
The Waxahachie High School varsity band, non-varsity band and sub non-varsity bands won the 2022 UIL Concert & Sight Reading Sweepstakes Award. They are under the direction of Head Band Director Rich Armstrong and Assistant Band Directors Justin Bell, Reggie Cook and Brandon Cummings.
WISD honors the state competitors from various Career and Technical Education (CTE) organizations. From the Skills USA team, Noe Cabrera, Angel De La Hoya Gonzalez, Anthony Mejia and Alexis Zavala, placed first in the district and third at the state in construction trades. Global High School’s Claude Miles placed second at the electronics technology competition in the state. The cosmetology department received every project submitted on blue ribbons, including flat nail art by Sanaa Wheeler and fantasy job exhibit from Averi Garcia.
In the FFA, the land judging state qualifiers were Makenna VanHuss, Tyce McKie, Isaac Garling and Kaylie Potter. The poultry judging state qualifiers were Hannah Rendon, Gracie Vantreese, Macie Morton, Lexi Anguiano and Audrey Hammock.
The Technology Student Association’s on-demand video team placed fifth at state and qualified for nationals. Team members are Emma Sears-Nash, Isaac Major, Nikki Holmberg and Dhruval Rangrej. The team of Philosophy Smith, Kadin Vire, Nikki Holmberg, Ethan Holmberg, William Leonhardt and Caleb Linsenbardt also placed fifth and qualified for nationals.
In the Texas Public Safety Association competition Emilee Jones placed third in the state fingerprinting, and Joseph “Seth” Harrison placed fourth in closing statements and sixth in opening statements. Callie Buchanan, Jordan Ingram and Saida Calzada placed sixth in the blood splatter and Jordan Ingram placed ninth in the traffic stop.
In the Health Occupations Student Association competition Emily Speelman and Alexis Trojan placed second in CPR / first aid and qualified for nationals.
National qualifiers from the Texas Association of Future Educators compete in Makenae Stone’s Children’s Literature and Project Visualize Service and Kyrie Richmond in Educators Rising Moment and Project Visualize Service.
WISD also honored Amador and Dorotea Manzano, who have maintained Lumpkins Stadium for years. And the district recognized former boys basketball coach Greg Gober, who recorded his 500th career win in December.