A two-day academic UIL meet at Palestine High School had some students out late and back at work early. Two CX debate teams competed on Friday night, and then three of those students joined the rest of the team traveling to Palestine the next morning for the rest of the meet.

“We had a terrific showing Friday night, winning first and fourth in CX debate,” coach Melonie Menefee said. “Getting back up to head back to Palestine the next morning wasn’t so easy, though. We were worn out.”

The main academic portion of the meet on Saturday was much larger, with area schools filling the cafeteria during holding times and classrooms for testing.

“There were a lot of people,” sophomore Megan Wedhorn said. “It was sort of nerve wracking, especially for my first time.”

Several students placed in the competitions and brought home medals. Evan Grisham placed fourth in current events; Megan Wedhorn placed sixth in ready writing; Andrea Garcia placed first in informative; Lilah Adams placed third in Poetry; Colby Menefee placed first in Prose, second in News Writing, fifth in Headline Writing and fifth in Editorial Writing. In CX Debate, Lilah Adams and Colby Menefee placed first and Nadia Garcia and Andrea Garcia placed fourth.

“We all did great. I’m really proud of my fellow competitors,” Wedhorn said. “It made me really think about how I was going to be better next time.”

The next UIL meet will be in Fairfield on February 11.

“I was very proud of how the students performed at the Palestine meet. They came in ready to work and really stayed focused to do the best they could,” UIL coach Martha Zimmerman said. “I believe that they will do even better at the next meet because now the nerves of the ‘first meet’ are over and they know what to expect.”