Houstonfest - Daily Log of Changes to State-Qualifier List

News and Updates

Contest promo video #1 (students from one school tell why they love contest)

Contest promo video #2 (one student tells why she loves contest)

Contest promo video #3 (hilarious 2024 State-winning submission from our own Klein Oak High School!)

Important Dates

on a rolling basis but no later than Wed., Apr. 30, 2025 for payment during the 2024-2025 school year: submit Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.

Fri., Feb. 14, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State online registration due for "early bird" price of $12/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 2/22).

Wed., Feb. 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State online registration due for regular price of $15/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 2/22).

Sat., Feb. 22, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual State events due (get the link to a Google Form from your teacher). Also, Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship and Sandra Dieckman GTHS Memorial Scholarship applications due (to submit the application, get the link to a Google Form from your teacher). Deadline to postmark your State payment.

Mon., Feb. 24, 2025, 8:00 p.m.: Entries in State promotional video contest due to State director.

Tue., Feb. 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.

Sat., Mar. 1, 2025: Texas State German Contest, Texas State University, San Marcos.

Sat., Mar. 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.

Sun., Mar. 16, 2025: Gail Cope State Scholarship applications due.

Past:

Mon. Jan. 13, 2025, 4:00 p.m.: Application for transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund opens; teachers were sent a link to an application on 1/7/25).

Fri. Jan. 17, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Application for transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund closes; teachers were sent a link to an application on 1/7/25).

Thu., Jan. 23, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (extended from 1/21): Houstonfest registration spreadsheet due for regular price of $12/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 1/27).

Mon., Jan. 27, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Houstonfest registration spreadsheet due for late price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.

Sat., Feb. 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get link to Google Form from your teacher; it was emailed to them on 1/21/25).

Tue., Feb. 4, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.

Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, 10:00 p.m.: Houstonfest changes (adds, drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.

Sat., Feb. 8, 2025: Houstonfest, Kingwood High School, Houston.

Daily Log of Changes to State-Qualifier List

After Houstonfest, some schools and individuals opt not to attend State for various reasons. Teachers should inform the Houstonfest director as soon as possible if their school as a whole or any individuals from their school will not participate in State. When this happens, the name of each entry that will not attend State is dropped from the state-qualifier list, and the next entry (from places 6-10) is moved up. These changes are reflected in the results spreadsheet, but for the convenience of teachers who are watching for changes that affect their students, this page will also contain a log of the changes made each day. Whenever possible, the Houstonfest director will also contact the teacher of anyone who can move up to inform them directly.

Clarification of policy effective starting in 2023: If a student who qualifies for State cannot physically attend the State contest, follow these procedures:

For individual in-person events (written tests, one-person oral tests, poetry memory, prose memory, vocal solo), you must inform the Houstonfest director so that he can drop your student and move up the next student from places 6-10. You do NOT have the option to replace the student in such events with someone else from your school.
For any of the 7 virtual events (digital logo design, oral presentation, photo essay, poetry reading, prose reading, research paper, video show), the entry is already complete (although you're certainly welcome to revise/improve it before State if you want to), so enter the student in State and submit the virtual entry for them (or they can submit it themselves), even though they are not attending in person. If you opt not to enter it after all, inform the Houstonfest director.
For non-virtual art events, enter the student in State and bring the project to State for them, even though they are not attending in person. If you opt not to enter it after all, inform the Houstonfest director.
For pair events (duet acting, Einzeltanz, pair discussion), if ONE member of a pair from your school cannot physically attend State but the other one can, you may replace the one who can't attend with another student from your school from an appropriate level (if applicable), provided that the replacement student is not already part of another pair entering that same event at State. If BOTH members of a pair cannot attend State, you must inform the Houstonfest director that you are dropping that event.
For group events (those with three or more participants), you may replace a student who cannot physically attend State with another student from your school from an appropriate level (if applicable).
In all cases where one student replaces another at State, reflect the change in your State alpha list and be aware that the judges will make no special accommodations for replacement students joining a group at the last minute (e.g., they will be penalized if they have to read from a script or sheet music in an event that requires memorization).

Changes made on 2/10/2025:

To fill spots at State left unclaimed by Sprachfest and/or Winterfest, the following groups are invited to compete at State (but will earn no sweepstakes points or credit towards any individual scholarship). Please let Rustin Buck know whether you accept the offer:

Affecting Cinco Ranch HS:

Move up 7^th-place Scavenger Hunt - accepted.

Affecting Grand Oaks HS:

Move up 6^th-place Polka Band - accepted.

Affecting Jordan HS:

Move up 7^th-place Classical Ensemble - accepted.

Move up 6^th-place Duet Acting Lower Level (Gillis/Munoz) - accepted.

Move up 7^th-place Duet Acting Upper Level (Campbell/Dhoon) - accepted.

Move up 6^th-place Skit 1 - accepted.

Move up 6^th-place Skit 4 - declined.

Affecting Kingwood HS:

Move up 6^th-place Duet Acting Upper Level (Appling/Durkee) - accepted.

Move up 6^th-place Einzeltanz (Appling/Ellis) - accepted.

Affecting Taylor HS:

Move up 6^th-place Skit 2 - declined.

Affecting Tomball HS:

Move up 6^th-place Classical Ensemble - declined.

Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:

Move up 7^th-place Einzeltanz (Macon/Sumrall) - accepted.

Affecting Tompkins HS:

Move up 7^th-place Duet Acting Lower Level (Mozisek, Nadathur) - accepted.

Move up 6^th-place Puppet Show Lower Level - accepted.

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Affecting Cinco Ranch HS:

Because Winterfest doesn't have 5 teams in Varsity Pass auf!, there are slots in the 16-team tournament to fill. Cinco Ranch's 1st-place Novice Pass auf! team is therefore invited to State to compete in the Varsity tournament - accepted.

Affecting Grand Oaks HS:

By rule, Grand Oaks' 6th-place Varsity Pass auf! team advances to State as it is Houstonfest's turn (once every three years) to send our 6th-place team - accepted.

Changes made on 2/11/2025:

Affecting Clements HS:

Drop F. Fonseca (Cinco Ranch HS) from Listening Comprehension 2, move up Meher Rajpal (Clements HS).

Affecting Taylor HS:

Drop F. Fonseca (Cinco Ranch HS) from Vocabulary 2, move up Mia Cakici (Taylor HS).

Affecting Tompkins HS:

Drop L. Shaffer (Cinco Ranch HS) from Vocabulary 2, move up Kyle Matre (Tompkins HS).

Changes made on 2/12/2025:

Affecting Clements HS:

Drop Cinco Ranch HS from Non-Traditional Gingerbread House, move up Clements HS.

Affecting Grand Oaks HS:

Drop Y. Cha (Cinco Ranch HS) from Spelling 2, move up Sara Green (Grand Oaks HS).

Affecting Heights HS:

Drop W. Benner (Bellaire HS) from Vocabulary 4, move up Nadiyah Russell (Heights HS).

Affecting Kingwood HS:

Drop I. Stewart (Bellaire HS) from Culture 4, move up Andi Duarte (Kingwood HS).

Affecting Taylor HS:

Scavenger Hunt (Taylor HS) may go to State due to the tech failure at Houstonfest.

Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:

Drop Y. Cha (Cinco Ranch HS) from Directed Dialogue 2, move up Shantanu Patil (Tomball Memorial HS).

Drop W. Benner (Bellaire HS) from Listening Comprehension 4, move up Dylan White (Tomball Memorial HS).

Drop Y. Cha (Cinco Ranch HS) from Vocabulary 2, move up Audrey Ridley (Tomball Memorial HS).

Changes made on 2/13/2025:

Affecting Grand Oaks HS:

Drop E. Tharagonnet (Cinco Ranch HS) from Poetry Reading 2, move up Sara Green (Grand Oaks HS).

Changes made on 2/14/2025:

Affecting British Int'l:

Drop S. Millan (Taylor HS) from Sight Reading 2, move up York Niu (British Int'l).

Affecting Taylor HS:

Drop S. Patil (Tomball Memorial HS) from Spelling 2, move up Isabella Scalise (Taylor HS).

Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:

Drop S. Patil (Tomball Memorial HS) from Grammar 2, move up Yuvan Katamaneni (Tomball Memorial HS).

Affecting Tompkins HS:

Drop S. Laepple/C. Massam (Jordan HS) from Pair Discussion, move up Benjamin Duda/Hannah Stokes (Tompkins HS).

Affecting Travis HS:

Drop S. Patil (Tomball Memorial HS) from Directed Dialogue 2, move up Ethan Johnson (Travis HS).

Changes made on 2/18/2025:

Affecting Heights HS:

Drop N. Beydoun (The Woodlands HS) from Grammar 4, move up Nadiyah Russell (Heights HS).

Affecting Taylor HS:

Drop I. Scalise (Taylor HS) from Spelling 2, move up Arwyn Sager (Taylor HS).

Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:

Drop I. Scalise (Taylor HS) from Reading Comprehension 2, move up Christopher Hansen (Tomball Memorial HS).

Affecting Tompkins HS:

Drop N. Beydoun (The Woodlands HS) from Extemporaneous Speaking 4, move up Lucha Buddelmeijer (Tompkins HS).

Changes made on 2/19/2025:

Affecting Bellaire HS:

Drop Ridge Point HS from Scavenger Hunt, move up Bellaire HS (previously invited to State from 6th place to fill a spot unclaimed by Winterfest but now moved up "the old-fashioned way" and thus eligible to receive sweepstakes points).

Affecting British Int'l:

Drop Ridge Point HS from Poster Design, move up Eva Murtuzali (British Int'l).

Affecting Heights HS:

Drop A. Sager (Taylor HS) from Spelling 2, move up Daniel Breed (Heights HS).

Affecting Jordan HS:

Drop Y. Niu (British Int'l) from Sight Reading 2, move up Adam Zhu (Jordan HS).

Affecting Klein Oak HS:

Drop Ridge Point HS from Video Show, move up Klein Oak HS (previously invited to State from 6th place to fill a spot unclaimed by Sprachfest/Winterfest but now moved up "the old-fashioned way" and thus eligible to receive sweepstakes points).

When is the next Houstonfest?

Saturday,

February 7, 2026

Where is Houstonfest?

Kingwood High School

2701 Kingwood Dr.

Kingwood, TX 77339

Link to Texas State German Contest

Texas State German Contest on Facebook

Texas State German Contest 40th Anniversary Facebook Group

This website houstonfest.org has been in operation since 2007 (contest itself founded in 1980).

Houstonfest is a constituent member contest within Texas State German Contests, Inc.

Mission Statement: To promote German language and culture through engaging and friendly

competition among Texas schools and students.

Director: Rustin Buck (houstonfest@texasstategermancontest.org)