BURTON STUDENTS COMPETE IN CONGRESS CONTEST
Douglas, Rosa Perez, Emily Giffith, Amber Merrick, and
Rubi Rios (Photo by Amelia Brown)
Students from Burton High School took part in the Regional Congress contest hosted by Caney Creek High School this past Tuesday.
The contest consisted of students acting as representatives in an open forum debate on the merits of student generated bills.
To prepare for the contest, the Burton competitors spent weeks reading, researching, writing, and delivering speeches.
In the contest, after delivering a speech, each student must field questions from anyone in the chamber. The contest consists of two, three-hour long sessions, during which each competitor spoke multiple times.
The Burton Panthers entered seven competitors into the contest, the maximum allowed amount. While the top spot went to a student from Grapeland High School, the Panthers captured the next seven spots, including two state qualifying positions.
The top competitor for the Panthers was Senior Devlin Douglas, who finished 2nd overall and advanced to state for the second consecutive year.
Also advancing to state was 3rd place finisher Rosa Perez (Sr.) who competed for the first time this year. Austen Bostain (Sr.) placed 4th, followed by Emily Griffith (Sr.) placing 5th, Cadeyn Manley (Sr.) 6th, Amber Merrick (Sr.) 7th, and Rubi Rios (Jr.) 8th.
Devlin Douglas and Rosa Perez will begin preparations for the Congress State Championship held in Austin on January 7th and 8th.
The preliminary rounds take place on the University of Texas campus January 7th, while the final rounds take place in the State Capitol Building on January 8th.