Burton took part in the Regional Congress contest hosted by Caney Creek High School in Conroe this Tuesday, November 4th. The contest consists 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, the student must field questions from anyone in the chamber. The contest consists of two, three-hour-long sessions, during which each competitor will speak multiple times.
The Burton Panthers entered seven competitors into the contest, the maximum allowed amount. While the top spot went to a young man 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.
*** (Pictured, Left - Right) Austen Bostain, Cadeyn Manely, Devlin Douglas, Rosa Perez, Emily Griffith, Amber Merrick, Rubi Rios. - Picture by Amelia Brown (Jr.) ***