Austin Rice, 7th grader at Seymour Middle School was elected the new Tennessee State Middle School Beta President.  The election took place Thanksgiving week at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville at the 2009 Tennessee State Beta Convention.
At the National Beta Convention this summer in Louisville, Kentucky, Rice will run for National President.  Rice has this to say about being elected, “It was really fun.  I didn’t know what to feel like.  I couldn’t see past the first row (of the auditorium which contained 6,000 people) so I didn’t get too nervous.”
Each candidate had to give a two minute speech and a one minute skit along with a slogan.  Austin’s was ‘Rice, Rice Baby’.  Rice said, “My speech in front of my peers at Seymour Middle School was harder to give than at the State Convention.”
Rice is an amazing young man. Well spoken, intelligent, good personality, very well rounded and driven.  He definitely looks like a ‘most likely to succeed’ candidate.  This young man was inspirational just to interview.  Rice is not only an honor student but also an outstanding athlete.  He plays football, basketball and baseball for Seymour Middle School.
Principal Faye Nelson who has spent 19 years in Beta expressed her pride in Rice, “Austin is a very well rounded student.  All the teachers brag on him as a great person, student and leader who is motivated.”  Seymour Middle School has produced 16 officers in 19 years both at the state and national level.
Rice had a final statement. “This whole experience is once in a lifetime.  I want to thank my friends, and everyone who supported me.”
At the convention, Seymour Beta also finished 1st out of 50 schools in Song Fest and 2nd out of 13 schools for Group Talent.
According to Mr. Ken Cline, National Beta CEO, “Beta is an academic honors recognition program.  The club holds conventions for students where they can compete in all sorts of academic areas for awards, scholarships, and monetary gifts.  Beta encourages high moral character and provides some of the best student leadership training I have ever seen.  Beta changes people’s lives.”

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