The Cross Examination team of Cody Eilrich and Kelsey Preston brought home the third place championship from the UIL Cross-Examination State meet that was held at the University of Texas in Austin on March 11-12, 2013. Eilrich, a senior from North Lamar High School, received the silver gavel for second speaker while Preston, NLHS junior, was ranked fourth. Sponsor for the pair is Kristi Hodgkiss.
The UIL began in 1910 as the Debating League of Texas High Schools and merged in 1912 with the Texas Interscholastic Athletic Association. Today, the League has expanded speaking competition to include two debate contests, two public speaking contests and two oral performance contests. Thousands of students from across the state of Texas compete each year in Cross-Examination Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Extemporaneous Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Persuasive Speaking, Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation. Active participation in debate is a Texas tradition over a century old.