Emma Crabtree, a junior at Decatur High School, has been named to the prestigious 2025 UIL All-State Journalism Staff. The honor recognizes Texas students who demonstrate exceptional skill in UIL journalism competitions.
“I was so excited when I found out I had made the staff,” Crabtree said. “I worked so hard last year to sharpen my news and feature writing skills and it really paid off.”
To qualify for the All-State staff, students must accumulate a minimum of 50 points from various UIL journalism contests the previous school year. Crabtree earned her points through consistent performance and a standout finish at the UIL State News Writing competition, where she placed fourth.
"Emma’s dedication is truly exceptional," said her teacher and journalism adviser, Jacob Wells. "Earning a spot on the All-State staff is a testament to her hard work, and her fourth-place finish at State was a tremendous achievement. I have no doubt she will excel as she takes on her new leadership roles with the yearbook and the newspaper."
In addition to joining the state team, Crabtree will also serve as both the high school’s advertising manager for the yearbook staff and the editor for the student newspaper, "Eagle Insider." For the paper, she plans to focus on recruiting new classmates to fulfill writing, photography and other roles. The result, she hopes, will be a revitalized newspaper that breathes new life into the school’s news coverage.
"This year I am most looking forward to revamping the school newspaper," she said. "As editor, I am going to be able to rebuild the staff and revamp our website to make it something we can really be proud of. I really want to make the newspaper something that students look forward to and want to read."