Thomas County Central High School Literary team left its mark during region competition with several members placing and advancing to state level.
The Region 1 AAAA portion of the Georgia High School Association Literary Competition was held March 1 at Cairo High School. Ten schools competed. TCCHS finished third overall, with placements in all but three events and only four points shy of the first place winner. TCCHS placed first in three categories and these students will advance to state competition.
“I am always proud of our students,” TCCHS Literary Coach Cary Riggs said. “This time we came in just four points behind the winner. TCCHS continues to hone our skills and competition levels. It is a pleasure to see our students take on the extra work and stress of academic competition. As literary coach, I get to see our students endeavor to increase their abilities and talents.”
TCCHS Chorale instructor Nicole Davis, whose students also participated, said literary “is a dramatic, writing, and vocal competition between the regional schools in our GHSA classification.”
“It is our chance to show Yellow Jacket pride even when we are not on the field,” she said.
TCCHS first place winners headed to state competition are: Riley Jones in Argumentative Essay; Marc Rountree, Matthew Edmonds, Zion Jackson and Logan Leik in Boys Quartet; and, Aspen Sloan, Ava Glover and Camille Sowell in Girls Trio.
Sophomore Riley Jones said this is his first year in literary competition. His literature teacher Mrs. (Stacey) Mitchell encouraged him to use his talent as a persuasive writer within the competition. His task was to choose one of three topics and write his argument for or against it.
Jones is proud of his accomplishment.
“I was competing with people older than me, so I’m very proud of winning first place,” he said.
Winner Ava Glover said she had “the honor” to be selected by Davis to participate this year, and has previously competed twice before so she knew what to expect.
“I've always felt that this competition is a good way for schools to assess their programs' and students' abilities and talents,” Glover said. “The trio taking home first place in our category is a testament to that: we grew musically and developed our performance skills greatly this year.”
Boys Quartet member Zion Jackson, who sang baritone, said he feels more comfortable in group settings and likes “the vibe of the group when it all comes together.”
“I was really ecstatic and surprised because the other guys were really good, too,” he said of the win.
TCCHS second place winners are: Marc Rountree in Boy’s Solo, Austin Ridley in Dramatic Interpretation, and Austin Ridley and Cole Donovan in Duo Dramatic Interpretation.
Second place winner Marc Rountree wanted to compete in his category because “I like the style of music and I enjoy singing on my own.” He sang two pieces, one in Italian and the other an “English art song.”
Rountree adds participating in literary events like this one “is a great confidence building experience and it looks great on college applications.”
TCCHS third place winner is Cole Donovan in Humorous Monologue and Rhetorical Essay.
“Each competitor worked diligently to prepare for their event(s), and everyone's hard work paid off,” Donovan said.
Donovan, who will graduate this year, says he’ll continue to support the program and use learned skills.
“Literary is an excellent competition and allows students to work hard and develop skills that aren't generally worked on in class,” he said. “Although I am graduating and will not be able to compete in this competition any longer, I hope to see the program continue to grow and will continue to use the skills that I gained through this experience.”
TCCHS also had a fourth place winner, Ansley Brinson, in Girl’s Solo.
Student competitors were chosen based on a variety of factors, including teacher recommendation, personal knowledge of competition areas, and past performance in similar events, Riggs explained.
Davis is proud of her students’ accomplishments.
“The vocal arts performers from TCCHS performed extremely well,” she said. “Their love of singing was apparent in their faces and their skill level allowed them to perform beautifully.”
The State GHSA Literary Competition will be held Saturday, March 12, at Warner Robbins Veteran High School.
TCCHS students who advanced to state level will be busy this coming week as they prepare for competition.
Jackson plans to “practice more” and “bond more with the guys in my group.”
Jones is reviewing strategies.
“I’m reviewing strategies for good persuasive writing, like how to appeal to the reader in the most effective way,” he said.