Tioga High School continues its winning streak as junior Kenzie Lewter places first at the UIL state competition for her essay.
It was an exhilarating moment for Kenzie, her family and adviser as she received first place in the Barbara Jordan Historical Essay in combined classes 1-3A on May 18.
“Kenzie is one of our hardest-working kids in the school, and so if there’s anyone deserving of a trip to state, it is certainly her,” theater teacher Haley Hertel said. “So I was super excited.”
Kenzie was drawn to this writing assignment for several reasons, including seeing her former high school peer, Lizbeth Fraire De León, become a state champion last year in the same competition along with the message of the essay.
“The purpose of the essay is a lot different than like any other writing assignment or UIL competition, because it’s about uplifting Texas voices and recognizing them for their contributions to Texas culture,” Kenzie said.
For her essay, Kenzie chose to interview Carrie Johnson, a former student of Hertel’s and a journalist who writes about indigenous issues and strives to uplift their voices, a message that really stuck with her.
“We knew when she was writing the paper that we were taking a bit of a risk because it is a research paper,” Hertel said. “… The person she wrote her paper on is a creative writer and had written a lot of poetry, so we decided to weave some of her poetry into the research paper, which is not a very typical way to write a research paper. So, we knew it was a big gamble, and we weren’t sure it was going to pay off.”
After submitting the essay in February, Kenzie waited several months, with- out a word, until late April.
Then one day, she received a surprise call from Hertel, who told her she would advance to the state level in Austin.
Although certain of her spot in the Top 12 and guaranteed a plaque, Kenzie hoped to place in the Top 6 to receive a gold medal at the award ceremony.
“I was so scared,” Kenzie said.
She recalled waiting and hoping for her name to be called as they went one by one, listing the Top 6 in ascending order.
“At that point, it’s like, ‘OK, I either just won the whole thing, or I didn’t place at all,’ which in that moment, I was so anxious,” Kenzie said. “It was more plausible to believe I just hadn’t placed at all.”
With only one place left, Kenzie was announced the winner of the contest, earning her first gold medal at the state UIL level.
“When they called my name, it was really surreal,” she said. “Everybody who was sitting in my section was screaming, and my mom almost started crying. Sometimes, even now, I don’t really believe it.”
Despite Kenzie’s initial uncertainty, there alongside her was her father, Austin Lewter, a man with enough unwavering confidence in his daughter’s ability to support both of them.
“Proud is not a strong enough word,” Austin said. “She really did a good job on this. I work with young people, and I work with bright young people, and to see your child be one of the brightest among them, it’s just really gratifying. … She took the spirit of this contest seriously, … [and] do what journalists do to tell the stories about folks that need those stories told.”
Her father, the owner and publisher of the Whitesboro News-Record, added that the shared moment was even more significant.
“As long as your kids are happy and thriving, that’s what you want, but if they can do that and you can have a little bit of common ground with them, then that’s even more special,” Austin said.
For Kenize, it has been a year with many UIL highlights, which include having qualified for state in traditional animation for her group film “Charles the Shifty Dog,” along with her sister Bella Lewter and friend Abbie Hammer, being the stage manager of the Tioga One Act Play that placed fifth at state, and placing third at state in group design.
Now, with the school year nearing its end, she looks ahead to her final year.
“Being able to take all the positive feedback my essay got and then do another one next year and then just keep going in UIL events as a senior next year is really helpful and good and encouraging,” Kenzie said.
Her full essay has been republished on the Whitesboro News-Record website to read for free at bit. ly/4v9SwfR.
