“Liberty students worked extremely hard for this success,” said Misty Baptiste, fine arts chair. “On top of their class work, athletic responsibilities, fine arts commitments, and other extra-curricular activities, students committed time to this success and realized their goal at the contest.” 

These competitions also speak well when students apply for college. The top five places in each contest advance to the state contest in Austin at Concordia University on April 1–2. 

Baptiste added, “Liberty teachers could not be more proud of these students and look forward to their continued success at the state level.” 

Individual results are as follows: 

Science “Top Chemistry”: Third place – Austin Hudelson, junior

Prose: District champion – Alexandra Stewart, sophomore; fourth place – Catherine Harrington, junior; and fifth place – Malyn Porter, sophomore

Persuasive: District champion – Colby Edson, senior; sixth place – Nick Edwards, senior

Number Sense: Fourth place – KJ Lee, junior

Advanced Math: Fourth place – KJ Lee, junior

Solo Acting: District champion – Catherine Harrington, junior; second place – Malyn Porter, sophomore; and third place – Gabby Marye, junior

Spelling: Fifth place – Alexandra McMillan, junior

Current Events: Fourth place – Logan McDivitt, sophomore; and sixth place – Marisa Rinkevich, senior

Duet Acting: District champions – Austin Mann, freshman, and Catherine Harrington, junior; second place – Malyn Porter, sophomore, and Ryan Wilkerson, junior; and third place – Alexandra Stewart, sophomore, and Ross Earley, freshman

Social Studies: Fourth place – Chris Svatik, sophomore; and sixth place – Joe Gorman, junior

Spanish: Third place – Maria Manrique, senior

Poetry: Third place – Tricia Tiedt, senior; fifth place – Katelynn Pearson, sophomore; and sixth place – Connor Devlin, junior

Oratory: District champion – Colby Edson, senior; and fifth place – Tiffany Sheffield, senior

Yearbook – District champion

Statistical research has shown that students who participate in academic extracurricular activities score higher on achievement and assessment tests. In addition, student participants whose parents are actively involved in working with their children in extracurricular academic programs have the greatest success in competition, as well as in their future academic studies. 

First Grade Teacher Jaime Michael Coordinates PSIA

PSIA motivates students in a number of ways, including: 

• Affirming self-worth
• Bringing new excitement to learning
• Developing teamwork and a sense of fair play
• Experiencing a sense of pride and dignity
• Appreciating that rules, when consistently applied, create order and discipline
• Experiencing the joy of achievement in a wholesome environment
• Fostering self-discipline and perseverance
• Achieving recognition for academic excellence
• Making better choices of after-school activities
• Enjoying camaraderie with students from other schools, and
• Receiving tangible awards for the academic ability

PSIA in the Liberty Cafeteria

Dedicated volunteers and teachers put in countless hours of hard work towards making the event a success. First grade teacher Jamie Michael said, “As my first year coordinating the Lower School portion of PSIA, I was blessed and encouraged by the amount of parents who were willing to step up and serve. 

“So many parents put in hours of work ahead of time, as well as the day of competition, to help Liberty shine as we hosted PSIA for nine other schools.” 

On March 27, the Saturday contest included 19 academic categories that covered a wide range of disciplines. A large number of Liberty students competed, with several qualifying for the state competition April 24 at Texas Christian University. 

Michael added, “I look forward to making more improvements and additions in the years to come as we strive to do our best at whatever we do, giving the glory to Him.” 

Congratulations to the Liberty PSIA winners below: 

Art Memory
Fifth grader Morgan Page – Sixth Place 

Liberty's PSIA Team

Creative Writing
First grader Drennan Ryan – First Place
First grader Hayden Black – Fifth Place 

Dictionary Skills
Fourth grader Sadler Engel – Sixth Place
Seventh grader Tiffany Lu – Fourth Place
Eighth grader Ian Brown – Fifth Place
Eighth grader Matt Marrs – Sixth Place 

Listening Skills
Fifth grader Brianna Lentz – First Place
Fourth grader Josiah Liszewski – Third Place
Seventh grader Jason Clemons – Third Place 

Maps, Graphs, and Charts
Fourth grader Cole Shiflet – Second Place
Fifth grader Kevin Wissink – Second Place
Fifth grader Shannon Russell – Fifth Place
Seventh grader Neiman Walker – Second Place

Mathematics
Fourth grader Jacob Wiederrich – Fourth Place
Fourth grader Madison Sanford – Sixth Place 

Music Memory
Third grader Ashleigh O’Neal – Third Place
Fifth grader Dillon Lewis – Second Place
Seventh grader Tiffany Lu – First Place 

On-Site Drawing
Seventh grader Maddie Ramirez – First Place
Eighth grader Maddie Stiles – Second Place

Poetry
Fourth grader Audrey Earley – First Place
Fourth grader Anna Sitzes – Fifth Place
Fifth grader Cole Porter – Tied for Third Place 

Ready Writing
Third grader Bella Lovalvo – Fifth Place
Fourth grader Reya Snyder – Fifth Place
Seventh grader Blair Croce – Second Place
Seventh grade Natalie Belokin – Sixth Place 

Science
Seventh grader Tiffany Lu – Second Place 

Spelling
Second grader Anthony Goss – Sixth Place
Fourth grader Lauren Hunter – Sixth Place

Story Telling
First grader Avery Spitler – Third Place
First grader Zach Salter – Sixth Place
Third grader Lauren Walsh – Sixth Place 

Vocabulary
Fifth grader Cole Porter – Sixth Place
Sixth grader Mary Jane Stidham – Second Place
Sixth grader Madeleine McMillan – Fifth Place

Ann Smith, Upper School choir director, said, “We have an amazing group of very talented kids with hearts that sang for the Lord.”

Megan McKenzie, choir accompanist, said, “We are very excited – this is a great accomplishment.

“We are very proud of them.” 

Scott Himel, band director, said, “The Liberty band really pushed the envelope this year for our TAPPS Regional competition and did an amazing job.”

Himel added, “It’s difficult to fully express how much time and work these students put into their craft for a single day of performing.

“We have had an amazing year so far, and State is within our reach,” he said. “This is our year to take it!”

The TAPPS competition is a way for all of those in choir and band to be judged on a stand of excellence. Liberty students have been working toward this competition since August, becoming better musicians so they would be prepared.

Each discipline at Liberty contributes to the overall points that a school can have, and that is the way the schools are selected as an Overall State TAPPS school. Fine Arts contributes points by competing in TAPPS at State, which will be held this year on Friday, April 16, and Saturday, April 17, at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. The competitions are very important for that reason, and they are important as a rule of measurement.

The criteria used in scoring a performance include many aspects, from musicianship, memory, pitch and rhythm accuracy, posture, professionalism, etc. A score of one (I) is for a superior performance, and those students who score a I proceed to State. A score of two (II) is given for an excellence performance, a three (III) is awarded for a good performance, and a four (IV) is given for a poor performance.

In choir, the music selected came from the UIL Prescribed Music List for TAPPS, which is the same list that the public schools use. For the choir contest, Smith selected three pieces of music that they are also taking on their mission trip to Ireland on Spring Break: “Sing me to Heaven,” “Amor de mi Alma,” and “I’m Gonna Sing ’til the Spirit Moves in My Heart.”

Choir results are as follows:
Chorale-large ensemble – I
Sacred Ensemble – I
Small Ensemble – I

Solos:
Senior Audra Fulp – I
Sophomore Hayden Erwin – I
Sophomore Ben Lytle – I
Junior Karin Smith – I on Vocal solo and I on Violin solo
Junior Skylar Ashlock – I
Junior Madison Oliver – I
Freshman Erin Ramsey – I
Junior Brandi Trost – I
Freshman Maggie Quam – II
Sophomore Michaela Kern – II

Band results are as follows:
Congratulations to the entire Concert Band and for the Sight Reading Competition – I
Congratulations to the Jazz Band – I

Congratulations to the following soloists:
Sophomore Kang (KJ) Lee – I
Junior Savannah Ewing – I
Junior Jay Byun – I
Sophomore Lizzie Robinson – I
Freshman Austin Crabill – I
Junior Won Jeong – I
Sophomore Joo (Lucas) Jeong – I
Junior Bum-Suk Park – I
Sophomore HyunJin (Hazel) Park – I
Freshman Sawyer Teague – I
Sophomore Piper Ramsey – II
Junior Preston Collins – II
Senior Cardin Menkemeller – II
Freshman Bum-Jin Park – II 

Congratulations to the small ensembles:
Flute Trio: KJ Lee, Paul Min, and Do Lee – I
Wood Wind Trio: KJ Lee, Paul Min, and Kyo (Howard) Jung – I
Clarinet Quartet 1: Savannah Ewing, Lizzie Robinson, Erin Achenbach, and Jordan Sharp – I
Clarinet Quartet 2: Erin Achenbach, Jordan Sharp, Kyo Jung-Howard, and Justin Mooneyham – I
Sax Trio 1: Jay Byun, Lizzie Robinson, and Savannah Ewing – I
Sax Trio 2: Lizzie Robinson, Jay Byun, and Piper Ramsey – I
Sax Quartet 1: Jay Byun, Lizzie Robinson, Savannah Ewing, and Piper Ramsey – I
Sax Quartet 2: Lizzie Robinson, Jay Byun, Savannah Ewing, and Piper Ramsey – I
Trumpet Trio: David Bushong, Hunter Johnson, and Lane Crabill – I
Brass Quartet: David Bushong, Lane Crabill, Logan McDivitt, and Daniel Elsom – I
Percussion Ensemble 1: Won Jeong, Bum-Suk Park, Joo (Lucas) Jeong, HyunJin (Hazel) Park, Bum-Jin Park, and Caleb Alducin – I
Percussion Ensemble 2: Cardin Menkemeller, Preston Collins, Austin Crabill, Austin Hudelson, and Sawyer Teague – I
Percussion Ensemble 3: Austin Crabil, Sawyer Teague, HyunJin (Hazel) Park, Won Jeong, Bum-Suk Park, and Bum-Jin Park – I