District dominates by earning 40 percent of all Sweepstakes trophies

Fifteen groups from McAllen ISD earned the highest score at the Middle School Choir UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest held recently at PSJA Southwest High.

McAllen ISD sent 21 choirs to compete. Of those, 15 of them (71 percent) received Sweepstakes which is the highest UIL music score. McAllen ISD also had four other groups earn a Superior Rating in either Concert or Sight-Reading. That means 90 percent of the district’s choirs received an award at UIL.

McAllen ISD also had more performing groups at UIL than any other school district (28 percent of the total competing groups).  In fact, 40 percent of all UIL Sweepstakes Trophies were awarded to McAllen ISD choirs.

Fossum and Morris middle schools each earned four Sweepstakes awards. Cathey earned three while De Leon earned two. Brown and Travis earned one each.

Lincoln Middle School earned two Superior Ratings while De Leon and Travis earned one each.

The contest included choirs from McAllen, Edinburg, La Joya, Mission, PSJA and Sharyland.

McAllen ISD has earned a national Best Community for Music Education award from the National Association of Music Merchants every year since 2013. Less than four percent of school districts nationwide earned this honor last year.