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By Chase Davis

LaGrange College hosted the Georgia High School Association literary competition for regional High Schoolers Friday. Both Troup High and LaGrange High placed in several categories.

The literary competition is an annual event run by the Georgia High School Association, in which high school students from around the region compete in events that include writing, public speaking, acting and singing. If the students perform well at the regional level, they will be sent to a statewide competition.

“This is a hard competition, and the talent of some of these students is absolutely incredible,” said Mike Pauley, athletic director of LaGrange High School and program coordinator for the competition. “There are nine high schools in our 2 AAAA region, and six of them are competing here,” Pauley said.

The competition included multiple different categories, including essay writing, extemporaneous speaking, oral presentation, chorus and solo performances. Some students competed in multiple categories.

The order of the competitors was determined prior to the competition, with the names of the schools omitted so that judges would not be at risk for bias. Furthermore, students were not permitted to say their name during their performance and could only identify themselves by the number which their school was assigned.

Troup High School performed well, earning first-place scores in the personal essay, argumentative essay, rhetorical essay categories. Overall, their team placed third.

LaGrange High also did very well, with their female-singing trio clinching the first place position. They also place second in the female solo chorus, male solo chorus, domestic speaking, and dramatic acting categories. Overall, LaGrange High placed second.

Students who placed in the region will go on to compete at the state competition on Saturday, March 19 at Warner Robins High School.