Several yearbook and newspaper staff members placed in the the statewide Central Texas TAJE/ILPC invitational practice meet Dec. 9 with eight Mavericks placing in their respective contests.

“It’s nice to see how as a writer I’ve improved,” senior Megan Garcia said. “To be rewarded for learning how to write more effectively is a satisfying feeling among all the stress of senior year.”

These Mavericks were selected out of 1,300 entries within five contests that included Headline Writing, News Writing, Feature Writing, Editorial Writing, and Copy Editing.

The students who placed are: Headline Writing – Amy Gonzalez (fifth) and Desirae Gonzalez (eighth); News Writing – Kelley Beeler (fifth) and Uzma Pathan (sixth); Editorial Writing – Garcia (first) and Sumin Son (second); and Copy Editing – Samantha Campbell (first) and Mariam Khwaja (fourth).

“I honestly didn’t think I would place considering there are upperclassmen, and people who have done this for a couple of years,” sophomore Gonzalez said. “The timing of the contests was really tedious and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. You don’t have much time to process everything and make it in tip-top shape. I learned that writing isn’t as easy as most people think.”

The contests were timed and varied for each of the contests. The contests started off with Editorial, News and Headline writing for 45 minutes each, Copy Editing was 15 total minutes, and Feature Writing concluded with an hour.

“Because it’s my last time doing this in high school, the UIL events are much more meaningful and weighty,” senior Garcia said. “The work I turn in despite it being a rough draft, is still representative of my progression as a writer throughout high school.”