Stephen F. Austin State University

More than 450 students from 24 public schools participated in the 22nd annual biology achievement exam Friday at Stephen F. Austin State University. After the test the junior high and high schoolers toured the Miller Science Building to view exhibits and to see how laboratories are conducted at SFA.
Trophies were awarded to schools that finished in first, second and third places, and students with the highest test scores were awarded cash prizes, according to Dr. Dennis Gravatt, biology department chairman. First-place winners received $100, second-place winners received $50 and third-place winners received $25 -- along with a plaque.
"We also presented several honorable mentions and medals," Gravatt said. "We had several categories, based on the size of the school and the amount of biology the students have had. This made it an even playing field for all levels of biology preparedness."
The biology achievement exam comprises questions that appear on freshman-level tests in biology, botany and zoology classes.
"We give the students 100 sample questions and see how they do," Gravatt said, adding that the event is meant to expose to the students to the college experience.
After the test, students toured labs manned by faculty and instructors.
"They visited the botany lab, the anatomy and physiology lab, the mammal and herpetology labs, the entomarium, and they got to see the electron microscopes up and running," Gravatt said. "The pre-professional advisor also provided information to the high school teachers and sponsors."
This year was one of the most successful events in the exam's history, Gravatt said. One of the largest groups traveled from Mineola, and schools including Cayuga, Gladewater, Hempstead, Ore City, West Rusk and Woodville came for the first time this year.
"We had one junior high school from Pine Tree," he said. "The rest were high schools. We're always happy when this event comes around, because it presents a rare opportunity for us to expose a large number of high school students to SFA to show them what we have to offer. I can't say enough about how much we appreciate the teachers and sponsors who work so hard to get the students here."
Winners in Biology I, Category A were West Hardin (first place), Woden (second place) and Bullard (third place). Student winners in Biology I, Category A were Chelsea Willis of West Hardin (first place), Cynthia Willis of West Hardin (second place) and Chase Shelburne of Hempstead (third place). Honorable mentions went to Randy Lilley of West Hardin, Eric Bolin and Zach Fisk of Woden, Regan DePreez and Kory Prince of Bullard, Danielle Goodwin and Nicolas Melton of Rusk, Jennifer Koester and Kelsey Nowlin of Gladewater and Brian Phelps of Ore City.
Biology I, Category B school winners were New Caney (first place), Pine Tree Junior High (second place) and Jacksonville (third place). Among students, Kevin Bush of New Caney won first place, Jake Magness of Pine Tree Junior High won second place and Eric Bush of New Caney won third place. Honorable mentions went to Dusten Hubbard, Luke Weaver, Alex Blouin and Mikaela Villavisencio of Jacksonville, Alexander Rodriguez of New Caney and Justin Dirla, Jessica Siu, Kyle Unruh, Steven Hawkins and Josh Wilkins of Pine Tree.
Winning schools in the Biology II exam were Jacksonville (first place), Rusk (second place) and Nacogdoches (third place). Individual student awards for the Biology II competition went to Gordon Ross of Jacksonville (first place), Joey Marchetti of Rusk (second place) and Amanda Bradshaw of Jacksonville (third place). Honorable mentions went to Chris Chilton, Shayla Robinson, Marcus Bennett, Libby Ross, Kayla Robinson, Callie Slovacek, Israel Posada, Cameron Nolley and Sarah Ousley of Jacksonville, and Billy Graham of Cayuga.