For the first time in DeKalb West School’s history, a student will be advancing to the national finals of the Junior Beta Club. 8th grader Garrett Hayes, the DWS Junior Beta President, won second place this week at the Tennessee Junior Beta State Convention in the Visual Arts category of Color Photography. Hayes is the son of Alan and Lesa Hayes.
Thirty-six Junior Beta members left Nov. 20 for a two-day stay at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to compete in a variety of academic, arts and crafts, and other contests. The theme was “Betas: Above and Beyond.”
Also representing DeKalb West in the academic competitions were Jaden Johnson in Math, and Brayden Antoniak, Science. Breanna Cothern, Abby Lawson, Riley Overstreet, and Nathaniel Crook were quizzed on 12 books that they read for the Book Battle contest. The Tower of Power team consisted of Aniston Farler, Madison Martin, Aly Griffith, Brett Walker, and Matt Nokes. The contest is designed for students to use innovative problem solving techniques and engineering concepts to create a straw tower that supports a tennis ball for one minute. Members of the Living Literature team were Bralin Moss, Jathan Willoughby, Lydia Willoughby, Lucas Hale, Dawson Bandy, Nathaniel Crook, Brayden Antoniak, and John Ellis. They created a set from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and they had the task of standing still like wax figures to recreate the piece of literature for viewers to see. Isaac Brown, Alley Beth Cook, Lynsey Ellis, and Nathan Dace made up the DWS Quiz Bowl team. For “Spotlight Your Club,” Alex Moreno, Kortnee Skeen, Lacey McMillen, and Kyndal Cox put their creative skills to the test to devise a tri-fold board that would demonstrate what the DWS Junior Beta Club is like focusing on the convention theme, “Betas: Above and Beyond.” Representing the club in the Scrapbooking contest were Gracie Griffin, Emma Damron, Summer Crook, and Bonnie Hale. Levi Driver sang “Little Drummer Boy” in the Special Talent contest. In the area of Visual Design, Emma Martin entered Sketching, Lydia Davenport, Black and White Photography, Kaia Howard, Recyclable Art, and Breanna Cothern, Sculpture.
“I am proud of our students,” said Bill Conger, DWS School Counselor and Junior Beta Sponsor. “They represented us well in the competitions and with their behavior at the convention. They’re always striving to be the best at DeKalb West.”
Amanda Mullinax, Jessica Antoniak, and Nadina Martel also sponsor the club.
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