Sabine Pass ISD looks to continue its hot (smart) streak
Published 6:35 pm Friday, May 4, 2018
By Lorenzo Salinas
Lucky number seven could be in the running for a school district that has already accomplished much at the state level of academia.
Sabine Pass Independent School District is competing Friday and Saturday in the University Interscholastic League Academic State Meet on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Twenty-five students from the district are competing for the state title.
It is certainly not the first time the district has competed at such a level.
Superintendent Kristi Heid explained that Sabine Pass has made the journey from competing at district level in UIL to regional and ultimately to state for many years in a row.
“When you’re competing at state level, you’re competing with the best of the best in the state of Texas,” Heid said. “And you’re looking at a state-winning school for six years in a row.”
Sabine Pass ISD has won five state titles in a row with the school earning first place last year. They had missed the top spot by only a few points then; the district expressed hopes to do well once more.
“It’s a culture here,” Heid said. “It’s a culture that starts in elementary, with our elementary team being UIL champions. It continues into middle school where our middle school team has won 15 years in a row in UIL. Our middle school has not lost a competition in years.”
As part of the UIL rules, elementary and middle schools cannot advance beyond the state level; however, high schools can.
“Once you qualify as a state winner, you are eligible for state scholarships for the next four years,” Heid said. “Generally, this school will take home the most 1A to 6A scholarships, so there’s a lot of reason to do this. It’s the culture we have established here.”
The UIL meet is a two-day, all-day competition that engages students in various academic fields like social studies, mathematics, science, computer science and literary criticism.
According to its website, UIL Academics offers more programs than any other UIL division, including 29 contests at the high school level and 20 A+ Academic contests for second to eighth grades.
More than an estimated half a million students participate each year.
