Frequently Asked Questions

UIL Academics is an extra-curricular program that involves specific skills you are already learning in your classes here at school.

UIL Academics gives students an opportunity to reinforce, improve, and sharpen their skills in a variety of challenging academic events against other students from around the district, region, and state of Texas.

Meeting times are decided by each event's coach, but most often happen periodically after school from 3-3:30 (check with your specific event's coach for more info)

Academic Meets (where competition against other schools happens) take place on Saturdays, usually from 7am-5pm. However, you only need to be present during the hours that your chosen event(s) is scheduled (Academic Meet schedules are usually made available 1-2 weeks before the event). 

Travelling for meets usually takes place in the Spring Semester. See the events and results page for more information on the timing of various meets.

First, contact your contest's specific coach, found under the Academic Contests page, and ask them what you need to do to get involved in that specific UIL Academics event. 

Student and Guardian signatures are needed on the UIL Academics Release Form in order to be a part of UIL Academics (this form is due before you participate in your first UIL Academic meet)

If you have any questions about contests or student responsibilities, please feel free to email Mr. Lechleiter.

Depending on your chosen event(s), you will periodically meet with the coach of that event to practice, review, and learn about your specific event.

Students are urged to participate in Invitational (practice) meets that we will attend before the District competition help near the end of March. Spots at the District Meet are limited, so some coaches use these practice events to select their District competitors.

Students will participate in the District UIL Academics competition (if selected by your coach) for a chance at advancing to the Region and State competitions.

While you do not need to attend every Invitational meet we participate in, the more practice you do the better chance you have of being selected for that event at the District meet and the better you'll perform.

We will travel to in-person invitational meets at the start of the second semester, usually in January. For more details on specific dates check the "Meets and Results" section of the website.

The District meet (held end of March or early April) is the one that "matters". At this contest you will face off against other students from schools in our District. The winners in each academic contest will move on to compete against other District winners in the Region meet. Winners at Region book themselves a spot at the State championship meet at UT Austin in May.

Some contests are able to participate in "virtual meets" that do not require travel or the same time commitment as in-person meets. For more information on virtual meets, click here.

Finally, some speech and debate groups may travel to specific meets focused on those events. Those dates will be communicated directly to students participating in those events.

In-person meets (invitational meets, District, Region) require travel to the specific host school. A bus will always be provided for student travel. The bus departs early on the morning of the tournament from the front of the school (Broadway St. entrance). Return time varies from tournament to tournament, but is usually between 5-8pm. More specific departure times for tournaments will be provided on the "Meets and Results" page.

Do I have to ride the bus? No, but if you decide not to ride the bus with us, you and your parent/guardian must fill out an "Alternate Travel Release Form" and give this to Mr. Lechleiter on, or before, the day of the tournament. 

Choosing alternate travel does allow students to arrive just before, or leave just after, their event(s) for that meet, if there are other schedule conflicts.

If you are driving yourself, you still need to fill out an release form with parent/guardian signature and hand it to Mr. Lechleiter.

When leaving a contest with alternate travel, an SCHS adult must walk you to your ride and confirm the correct driver before you depart.