The Bellville Herd

 

NEWSROOM

 

A Brahma Video Productions Student Newsroom

Andrew Jennings
Academic UIL Coordinator
Email:  ajennings@bellvillebrahmas.org

The UIL Academic Coordinator oversees Bellville High School’s academic UIL program and helps connect students with the appropriate event coaches. Contact the coordinator for information about competitions, schedules, participation, and official results.

  • Academic UIL events and schedules
  • Competition assignments
  • District, regional, and state advancement
  • Finding the correct UIL coach
  • Confirming official UIL results

Covering the UIL Beat

Start Here

  1. Introduce yourself to Mr. Jennings and explain that you are covering Academic UIL for the BVP Newsroom.
  2. Ask which UIL events Bellville students will compete in this year.
  3. Request the competition schedule, including invitational, district, regional, and state dates.
  4. Ask for the names of each event’s coach and participating students.
  5. Find out when and where each event team practices or meets.
  6. Ask how the coordinators and event coaches prefer to be contacted and how far in advance interviews should be arranged.
  7. Check with the coordinators and individual event coaches regularly for schedule changes, competition results, and students who advance.
  8. When you discover a possible story, submit it as a pitch before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.

Your Responsibilities

  • Check for Academic UIL updates at least once each news cycle.
  • Maintain contact with the UIL coordinators and individual event coaches.
  • Keep track of upcoming competitions and important deadlines.
  • Watch for students who place, qualify, advance, or receive recognition.
  • Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
  • Arrange interviews and event coverage in advance.
  • Confirm student names, event names, placements, competition levels, dates, and results before publication.
  • Follow up after every competition to obtain official results, photographs, and student reactions.
  • Update your records when students advance to the next level of competition.

Important

Competition schedules, participant lists, and results can change. Do not report that a student placed, qualified, or advanced until the result has been officially confirmed by Mr. Jennings, the event coach, or an official UIL results source.

Be precise about the level of competition. An invitational, district, regional, and state competition are not the same thing. Always identify the exact event and competition level in your story.

Reporting Your UIL Stories

Possible Story Ideas
  • Students begin preparing for an upcoming Academic UIL competition.
  • Bellville hosts or attends a UIL invitational meet.
  • A student or team places at a UIL competition.
  • A student qualifies for district, regional, or state competition.
  • A student competes at the regional or state level for the first time.
  • A UIL team wins a district, regional, or state championship.
  • Several Bellville students advance in the same event or competition.
  • A student earns an individual medal or other recognition.
  • A student achieves an unusually high score or placement.
  • Bellville introduces a new UIL event or returns to an event after an absence.
  • A student competes in an unusual or unfamiliar UIL event.
  • A UIL coach introduces a new preparation or practice method.
  • Students balance UIL preparation with classes, jobs, athletics, or other activities.
  • A student overcomes a challenge while preparing for competition.
  • Experienced competitors help prepare younger or first-year participants.
  • A UIL coach, team, or program reaches an important milestone.
  • Students return from a competition with results, awards, photographs, or an interesting experience.
  • UIL participation opportunities or competition assignments are announced.
  • Students are needed to fill open positions on UIL teams.
  • A former Bellville UIL competitor achieves something related to the skills developed through competition.
Signs There May Be A Story

Pay attention when:

  • A student wins, places, qualifies, advances, or receives recognition.
  • A student or team performs better than expected.
  • Several Bellville students place or advance at the same competition.
  • A student reaches the regional or state level.
  • A student competes in an event for the first time.
  • Bellville participates in a new UIL event.
  • A student or team achieves something that has not happened in several years.
  • A school record, personal record, or program milestone is reached.
  • Students begin preparing for district, regional, or state competition.
  • A competition, deadline, or major UIL event is approaching.
  • A student demonstrates an unusual preparation method, skill, or area of knowledge.
  • A coach identifies a competitor or team that has made significant improvement.
  • A student overcomes a challenge to compete or advance.
  • You see students practicing, studying, timing performances, reviewing material, or preparing presentations.
  • You hear someone say, “This has never happened before,” or “We haven’t done this in years.”
  • Competition results, medals, certificates, trophies, or photographs arrive.
  • Students return from a meet with an interesting experience that goes beyond their placement.
  • Competition assignments, schedules, or participant lists are announced or changed.

Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H

You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.

Who was involved?

  • Which students competed?
  • What are their grade levels?
  • Which UIL event did each student enter?
  • Who coached or prepared them?
  • Who placed, qualified, or advanced?
  • Were other Bellville teams or competitors involved?
  • Which schools competed against Bellville?

What happened?

  • What was the name of the competition?
  • What UIL events did Bellville students enter?
  • What did each student or team accomplish?
  • What were the official results and placements?
  • What did students have to do during the event?
  • What skills or knowledge did the event test?
  • What made the result notable?
  • Was this an individual or team event?
  • Did anyone qualify or advance to another level?

When did it happen?

  • When was the competition held?
  • When did students begin preparing?
  • How long did they prepare?
  • When were the official results announced?
  • When is the next competition?
  • When will advancing students compete again?

Where did it happen?

  • Where was the competition held?
  • Which school or organization hosted it?
  • Did Bellville host or travel to the competition?
  • Where do students normally practice or prepare?
  • Where will the next level of competition be held?

Why does it matter?

  • Why did the students choose this particular event?
  • Why is this accomplishment important?
  • Why was the event especially difficult or competitive?
  • Why should other Bellville students care about the result?
  • Why is advancing to the next level significant?
  • What does this result mean for the student, team, or UIL program?
  • What opportunity does this create for the students?

How did it happen?

  • How did students prepare for the competition?
  • How were students selected or assigned to their events?
  • How did the student or team perform?
  • How are competitors scored or judged?
  • How did Bellville compare with the other schools?
  • How did the students respond to pressure or unexpected challenges?
  • How can other students join an Academic UIL event?
  • How does a student advance to the next level?

Questions for Competitors

  • Why did you choose this UIL event?
  • What does a competitor do in this event?
  • How did you prepare?
  • What was the most difficult part of preparing?
  • What was the most difficult part of the competition?
  • What were you thinking while waiting for the results?
  • How did you feel when you learned your placement?
  • What did you learn from the experience?
  • What would you do differently next time?
  • What happens next?
  • What advice would you give another student interested in this event?
  • Who helped you reach this point?

Questions for UIL Coaches

  • What does this particular UIL event involve?
  • What skills does a student need to succeed in it?
  • How were the competitors selected?
  • How long did the students prepare?
  • What did their preparation involve?
  • What made this student or team stand out?
  • What was especially difficult about this competition?
  • How does this result compare with previous years?
  • What must advancing students do to prepare for the next level?
  • What comes next for the students?
  • Are additional students needed for this event?
  • Is there anything about the event, scoring, or result that people might misunderstand?

Questions for the UIL Coordinators

  • How many students and events represented Bellville?
  • How did Bellville perform overall?
  • Which students placed or advanced?
  • Were there any particularly notable results?
  • How does this competition fit into the overall UIL season?
  • What is the next level of competition?
  • When and where will advancing students compete?
  • What opportunities are still available for students who want to participate?
  • What would you like students to understand about Academic UIL?
People You May Need to Interview

Depending on the story, consider interviewing:

    • The student who placed, qualified, or advanced
    • Other students who competed in the event
    • Members of the UIL team
    • The coach for the specific UIL event
    • Academic UIL coordinators Andrew Jennings or Randi Anderson
    • A first-year UIL competitor
    • An experienced competitor who can provide perspective
    • A student preparing for the next level of competition
    • A teammate who witnessed the student’s preparation or performance
    • A teacher whose subject is connected to the event
    • An administrator, when the accomplishment affects the larger school program
    • Parents, when appropriate and approved
    • Competition organizers or officials, when additional clarification is necessary

    Do not interview only the coach or coordinator when students are the focus of the story. Whenever possible, include the voices of the students who competed, placed, or advanced.

    What You Need to Collect

    Before writing or producing the story, collect:

      • The complete and correctly spelled names of all students involved
      • Each student’s grade level
      • The exact name of each UIL event
      • The official name of the competition or meet
      • The date and location
      • The name of the host school or organization
      • The competition level: invitational, district, regional, or state
      • Official individual and team results
      • Each student’s exact placement
      • Scores or rankings when they are relevant and available
      • The number of schools or competitors, when it helps explain the accomplishment
      • The names of students who qualified or advanced
      • The next competition’s date, location, and level
      • An explanation of what competitors do in the UIL event
      • An explanation of how the event is scored or judged, when necessary
      • How students prepared and how long they practiced
      • At least one useful quote from a student competitor
      • At least one useful quote from the event coach or UIL coordinator
      • Photographs or video of students preparing or competing
      • Photographs of medals, certificates, trophies, or awards
      • A photograph identifying the students who placed or advanced
      • Relevant schedules, programs, result sheets, brackets, announcements, or official documents
      • The name of the coach, coordinator, or official source who confirmed the results

      If a student advances, also collect:

      • The exact level to which the student advanced
      • How the student qualified
      • When and where the next competition will be held
      • What the student must do to prepare for the next level
      • Whether the student is advancing individually or as part of a team
      Before You Leave

      Ask yourself:

      • Do I have the correct spelling of every student’s name?
      • Do I have each student’s correct grade level?
      • Do I have the exact name of the UIL event?
      • Do I understand what competitors do in that event?
      • Do I know the official name, date, location, and level of the competition?
      • Have all results and placements been officially confirmed?
      • Did I distinguish between invitational, district, regional, and state competition?
      • Do I know which students qualified or advanced?
      • Do I know when and where they compete next?
      • Can I explain why the result is important or unusual?
      • Did I interview at least one student competitor?
      • Did I speak with the correct event coach or UIL coordinator?
      • Do I have a strong quote—not merely “I’m excited”?
      • Do I have usable photographs or video?
      • Did I identify everyone shown in the photographs?
      • Do I have photographs of the awards or results?
      • Is there another competitor, coach, or coordinator I still need to interview?
      • Are any results still preliminary or unofficial?
      • Is there information that should not be published until the results are officially announced?