Florida Junior Beta State Convention
Monday, December 4th and Tuesday, December 5th
Universal Double Tree Hotel

For a tentative schedule of events, click here.

List of Competitions and Guidelines

*Only students registered and in attendance at the Convention are eligible to participate.

Talent:
Each school can enter only ONE of the following, not both!

Group Talent: 5 or more participants; 6 minute time limit; no lip-sync allowed, background music only; no audio-visual technology
Individual (Special) Talent: 4 or fewer participants; 4 minute limit; no lip-sync allowed, background music only; no audio-visual technology

Judging Criteria:

Arts & Crafts:
No kits of any kind may be used! An individual may enter only one item per category, but may enter more than one category. One entry per club, per category. Paintings and other similar works should be matted or framed for best presentation. No easels will be supplied. There are no guidelines regarding subject matter or size of the entries. Students may choose freely in this regard.

Categories:

T-Shirt Design:
Each school is limited to one entry. The theme must follow the Convention Theme "Grand Ole Beta." This is a club project; shirt must be student designed and then reproduced commercially. The shirt must adhere to the convention theme. T-shirts cannot be commercially altered or created. The original artwork done by students must be entered with the t-shirt.

Banner:
Club project; must be free flowing as a flag and two dimensional in design. Basis for judging: color and contrast; craftsmanship, interpretation of theme "Grand Ole Beta".

Spelling Bee:
Oral; level of difficulty will be changed with the beginning of each round; no spectators allowed; only one contestant per club.

Songfest:
Clubs will take the melody of a well-known song, jingle, or commercial and re-write the words for Junior Beta. The Songfest entry must follow the Convention Theme, "Grand Ole Beta." Words to be sung will be typewritten and submitted with entry form (3 copies required). No props, no choreogrpahic movement or animation, no dramatic gestures or costumes allowed. Only matching shirts, pants or skirts will be allowed. Do not use your club's name in the lyrics; length of song may not exceed 3 minutes; the top 3 will present their song on stage at Convention; Presentation must include 75% of the club attendance at convention, or 50 members (whichever is less). No Lip-Syncing allowed.

Judging Criteria:

**Keep in mind that songfest is NOT a shortened group talent! The basis for judging is originality of words and the vocal performance.

Scrapbook:
Only one scrapbook per club amy be entered; should cover only one year (convention to convention or one school year); all work is to be done only by Beta members with the supervision of the Sponsor; the theme is "Grand Ole Beta;" contents may include: school service projects, community service projects, interclub service projects, social functions, original categories (unique to each school), beta members in other school related activities.

Judging Guidelines:

Essay:
Subject of essay: Grand Ole Beta; each school may enter ONE individual essay written by a Junior Beta; limit the essay from 600-1000 words (every word will be counted except dates which are counted as one word only); do not exceed the word limit. Judging will be handled by a panel of impartial individuals; essays will be judged on adherence to theme, neatness, spelling, punctuation, and organization. All essays should include a Bibliography if material from books, pamphlets, letter, newspapers, etc. is used.

Speech:
Topic: Grand Ole Beta; only one student per school can enter; time limit is 1-2 minutes; any variation from the limits - over or under - will result in points being deducted from the speaker's score - 5 points for every 15 seconds. Speaker may not use props, but may use note cards. Criteria for Judging (by panel of judges; on 1-10 basis): interest level, organization, transition, verbal support, effectiveness of delivery, eye contact, enthusiasm, adherance to theme, overall effectiveness. The winning speech will be presented on stage at the Second General Session. Winner will be announced at the mixer on Monday evening.

Quiz Bowl:
Each team consists of 4 members; the competition will be a written round on Monday with the top 2 teams competing in an oral round on Tuesday. Written Round: The four members of each team will work on one test; questions will vary by difficulty; they will range from trivial to the highly technical; they will be compiled from standardized tests, from high school texts, from current news, from trivia books, etc; this is a general knowledge competition, which stresses quick recall. Additional information will be provided about the oral round.

Battle of the Books:
Each team consists of 3 members; each school may have only one team; teams will need to be familiar with the following books (listed in order from easiest to most difficult):

Activity requires members to answer questions based on factual comprehension and identify authors for bonus points; there will be 2 rounds in which teams will participate; the sencond round consists of the top 12 point earners of round 1; first second, and third place trophies will be awarded to the top 3 point earners in the bonus round.

Poetry:
Each school may enter one poem written by a Junior Beta member; poems may be either free or traditional verse; poems must adhere to the convention theme: Grand Ole Beta; poems must be typed. Criteria for Judging: adherence to theme - 50 points, use of language/imagery/style - 25 points, poetic appeal - 25 points.

Living Literature:
The Living Literature Museum provides an opportunity for students to present their interpretation of a scene from a favorite work of literature. Each school may only have ONE entry; either by individuals or a group. Students should choose a scene and character from any form of literature, including novel, short story, poem, or play. Students recreate the scene through costumes, scenery, and props. Essentially, students become "wax museum figures" of the characters; visitors will stroll through the "museum." No part of the scenery should move during pose for judging; moving scenery or sound will result in disqualification.

Judging Criteria:

Academic Competitions: Math, Science, Social Studies
Each school may enter one student for each of the academic competitions. No calculators will be allowed. Students have one hour to take the test; if students take less than one hour, the time will be noted on the answer sheet; in the case of a tie score, the students will be ranked according to their finish times. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will be recognized in each division.

Math: consists of a multiple choice test that may contain computation, math concepts, or problem solving
Science: multiple choice test that may contain questions on General Science, Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science
Social Studies: multiple choice

Students will be chosen based on a "test" given to each applicant for each subject area. For these school-based tests, please be familiar with the following:
Math: 6-8th grade math concepts, Pre-algebra and Algebra
Science: Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, Space and Technology
Social Studies: Geography & History including Africa, the Ancient World, Asia, Europe, Russia, Latin America, Medieval Times, Canada, and the U.S.A.

Poster:
Teams of 1 to 3 students will design an original poster on a theme to be assigned at the beginning of the competition. Teams may only use the following items and must provide their own: half sheet of poster board (white, standard size), pencils and erasers, colored markers (any size) or colored pencils. Competition will have a 2 hour time period. Criteria for Judging: adherence to theme - 40%, Originality/Creativity - 20%, Overall appearance - 20%, neatness - 20%

Technology:
Teams of 1 to 3 students may create a Power Point Presentation on the theme Grand Ole Beta; time limit is 2 minutes; Use Pack and Go under Power Point Save; save to disk or flash drive; include viewer and presentation. Criteria for Judging: Adherence to theme - 50%, Originality/Creativity - 25%, Overall Presentation - 25%