WAINT NLIIFNEG

EDUCATION

WAINT NLIIFNEG Organized competition can help students achieve

The American Dream. Dream big. Follow your dreams.

Through the course of a lifetime, Americans are told to pursue their dreams and achieve them, but what often goes unsaid is others will be chasing those same dreams.

In other words, there will be competition.

While many fear the pressure of competition at an early age can be overwhelming for students, research shows some trials can positively affect mental health in children and fortify them for adulthood.

“We don’t want to raise complacent children, we want to raise kids who believe they can do anything, and that aren’t scared to try to get there,” said Abby Turner, director of teaching and learning at the Taylor Independent School District. “We can’t remove scary pressure moments from our students’ lives, we can only prepare them for it, and so we give them the tools and the skills so that they’re able to develop and be ready for it in the real world.”

A 2022 research study of more than 11,000 U.S. children shows some competition not only builds skills such as cooperation, problem-solving and effective communication, it can also bolster mental fortitude. The research cited lower rates of anxiety and depression, social problems and difficulties with attention in adolescents.

The study, published in PLOS ONE and authored by Matt Hoffmann, Joel Barnes, Mark Tremblay and Michelle Guerrero, indicated mental-health benefits are associated with team competitions because of collaboration, connection and positive social interactions, including peer support through victory or defeat.

LOCALCONTESTS

While the study centered on traditional sports, the same collaboration and support can be found in other types of contests. In Taylor and Hutto, students have a wide variety of options for developing a talent and putting their skills to the test against their peers.

In the 2025-26 school year, Taylor High School’s barbecue team won the regional competition and came in fifth place in the state championships. Its color guard team placed fifth at state and competed nationally. The new robotics team placed second at the statewide

Abby Turner (left), Lillian Farris and Stephanie Kaynes pose with Farris’ entry to the Texas State Science and Engineering Fair at Texas A&M University. She was in the top 20 in the state in the 2025/26 Engineering Technology, Statics & Dynamics category with her project “Comparing Weight Capacity Across Bridge Designs.” Farris, now a freshman at Taylor High School, placed in the top 4% of 25,000 fair participants. COURTESY TAYLOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

TAYLOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT robotics newcomer competition.

Hutto Independent School District also boasts many award-winning teams, including robotics. Hutto High School has been named the University Interscholastic League Robotics State Champions five times, and more than 10 state championship titles have been awarded to elementary and middle school teams.

The study cautioned individual competition may not have the same effects as group competition due to differing dynamics and the potential for an individual competitor to feel more pressure and have less support, but Turner said in Taylor ISD, they take steps to ensure all students can participate in healthy competition whether it is individually or in groups.

Two years ago, Taylor ISD began participating in science fairs. The district had not competed in science fairs in recent memory, and instructional specialist Stephanie Kayne said the first year’s event created a buzz among students that more than tripled participation the second year.

Last year, almost 40 Taylor students participated in the Greater Austin Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Five elementary pupils won first-place awards and one middle school student, Lillian Farris, took first in her category and competed at state.

While science fair competition is an individual event, the district provides a group-effort atmosphere for those participating. Kaynes does mock interviews with the students so they can practice their presentations. Teachers, community members and school district trustees participate in a mock science fair with the students to help them feel prepared and supported.

“It’s amazing to watch the kids cross the stage as they get scored. At the elementary level they immediately get a first, second or third place and they have their ribbon and you should just see how they shine as they hold their board and their ribbon,” Kaynes said.

Turner said Taylor ISD takes a systematic approach to finding opportunities for all students to connect with the school, and activities that feature competition are one way to encourage engagement.

“One thing about competition is, success builds more success. So if we find a kid, and we can identify what they’re great at, it gives us the lens to find the next thing that they’re great at, and the next, and the next. It really helps us just find the strengths of our kids and then build on them,” Turner said.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Opportunities to engage and compete with peers can take several forms, including extracurricular clubs and organizations such as the FFA and 4-H, which have leadership and agricultural contests.

The UIL provides extracurricular academic, athletic and music contests for students including theater, journalism and debate. There are school-sponsored teams such as Academic Decathlon. Some competitions are connected to specific courses, including criminal justice, digitalmedia production and photography.

Hutto High School senior Arianna Castillo won two silver medals and one bronze at the Technology Student Association regionals and competed in the state championship for photography during the last school year. While she said she has always enjoyed photography, she considered giving it up.

“Competing has made me more confident in my work because for a while, I was kind of scared to put my work out there and I was just nervous of what people were gonna say,” she said.

Castillo credits support from family, friends and classmates with helping her gain the confidence to show her photos. She also praised her photography teacher, Jason Hennington, for giving her advice, encouragement and teaching techniques she needed to work on.

The senior said participating in photography competitions gives her a reason to be excited to go to school and has improved her overall motivation.

Kenji Williams, another of Hennington’s award-winning photography pupils, sees competition as a way of making connections that could help him later. In addition to winning two gold medals for his photography work at the Technology Student Association regionals, Williams competes in musical events and operates a heat-printed T-shirt business with his younger brother, Corey.

“He has a competitive spirit when it

comes to other people, but I don’t think it is a matter of him wanting to be compared to someone else. I think it’s just him exploring the subject matter,” said mother Onnesha Williams.

Kenji Williams, a senior at Hutto High, said his real passion is creating “beats” for musicians. He is hoping to get into more competitions in that field, though he thinks he will also compete in photography as well. He likes learning from other people in interesting fields, something he said is part of the competitive environment.

“I saw a quote, ‘Anybody who is expert at something was always a beginner at the start.’ So everybody’s gonna be a beginner when they’re trying to start something new,” Williams said.

Putting in the time is a sentiment Hutto High Career and Technology Education teacher Hennington stresses to his students.

“You can be God-gifted with all the talent, but if you don ‘t put in the work, it’s not gonna matter. And that’s what I encourage my photography students to do,” he said. “Yes, you’ve got a great eye. But you might miss something because you’re not going out there and practicing. You’ve gotta put in the work.”

Competition has always been part of Hennington’s life. An award-winning photojournalist, he recently was named as the Career and Technical Association of Texas Area IV nominee for “New Teacher of the Year” for the state.

The Taylor native began his teaching career at Hutto High in 2024 after 11 years with Taylor Press, where he was editor and publisher. During that time, the newspaper won numerous awards for journalism and photography.

Hennington said competition teaches students a strong work ethic, builds discipline and opens the world to opportunities they might not have had. It also gives them a reason to keep coming to school.

The educator has two young daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, who are just entering their competitive years. As a parent, he hopes they enter competitions and learn important life lessons.

“I want them to understand that competition is not just all about beating the other person,” Hennington said. “I want them to learn how to have respect for those people they were just up against. I want them to learn work ethic. And I want them to learn how to be a better person, not just in the competition, but also afterwards.”