by: Tatiana Allen

GREENSBORO – On January 27 and 28, the Lee County High School BETA club attended the North Carolina state convention and left with its fair share of hardware. Out of over 2,000 competing members, LCHS placed in the top-five of eight categories.

Emmalee Duncanson and Kailey Edwards were the big winners, taking home top honors. Duncanson won first place in the US History competition while Edwards finished in first place in on-sight poetry. Edwards also finished in second place in music and fine arts. There were a pair of third place finishers at LCHS, with Nathan Jones finishing in third in poetry while Jude Fuller came in third place in site painting.

Danna Villagomez-Guerrero finished in fourth place in pottery. Staying in the arts, Jordan Keifer finished fifth in sculpture. Bella Miller and Anna Liese Gaines finished in fifth place in solo/duo/trio variety act.

Top-five finishers receive the opportunity to compete at the national BETA convention.

Duncanson and Edwards were both excited to be named winners in their categories. Duncanson even admitted there was a bit of guesswork on her history test, but it paid off in the end.

“I was shocked,” Duncanson said. “I took the test the night it was due and I had no clue what the questions were.

“I was super excited,” Edwards added. “I tried really hard on the competition, so it was worth the effort.” Edwards was required to write a poem that related to the theme ‘My Life in Living Color.’

Miller and Gaines were standing in line at a Starbucks when they found out the results of their competition. Miller admitted they were both disappointed that they did not see their names in the top-three. That feeling immediately subsided seeing they placed in their variety act. Miller sang while Gaines danced to Adele’s “All I Ask.” All they asked for was to place.

“We freaked out,” Miller said. There were so many talented people. Actually placing was uplifting.

“I was excited because we got to go on stage and received a plaque,” Gaines said. “We did a lot better than we originally thought.”

BETA club advisory Katie Brown said the experience was great for the club.

“It really gives students a chance to showcase their talents,” Brown said. “There’s a little bit of something for everyone.”

While the winning was nice for the club, many students said it was a weekend that helped to forge relationships with new friends and helped to strengthen the bonds they already had with others.

“The interaction between people I know and people I didn’t know,” Miller said describing her favorite part of the weekend. “A big part of being in clubs like this isn’t just competing. There’s also the factor of being able to be welcoming.

“I got to get closer with a lot of people I went with, even though I was friends, we got closer,” Gaines added. “It was really fun just getting to bond with people in the club.”

There are currently 82 members on the roster. Students must maintain a 3.5 weighted grade point average and participate in BETA club service projects as well as completing service hours on their own.