November 14, 2023 - On Thursday, November 9, Shelbyville students Kennedy McArthur, Travis Caporali, and Maddie Lout traveled to Kilgore to compete in the Region 7 U.I.L. congress competition. The University Scholastic League's web page describes congress as, " An individual contest in a large group setting that models the legislative process of democracy. Within this mock legislative assembly competition, contestants draft legislation, and they research the docket of bills and resolutions dealing with real-world social and political policies prior to the contest to prepare their speeches." Kennedy placed 4th and is an alternate to the state competition, Travis placed 3rd qualifying for state and also received the best presiding officer award, and Maddie placed first qualifying for state. The state competition will be held in Austin on January 9-11. Shelbyville Speech and Debate is coached by Emily Sowell and Crystal Harrison.
