Dallas County High School’s Beta Club took home five awards and member Preston McGee was elected as the new Alabama State Secretary at the Alabama Beta Convention in Birmingham.

The 77 students participated in a number of competitions at the convention, and won second place in robotics, third place in character skit, third place in Beta build, third place for their campaign skit and second in digital art –– photography.

McGee, a 10th grader, decided with the help of his fellow students that he would run for the secretary position, which meant a lot of work and hours leading up to the convention.

“I was really excited [to win]. I don’t know if I was as excited as my sponsor, Ms. (Amy) Reeves,” McGee said jokingly.

Reeves is the Beta Club sponsor at Dallas County and has worked with the program for more than 15 years.

“To me, it was like winning a state championship,” Reeves said. “I’ve been a sponsor here for over 15 years and no one has ever won Alabama BETA State Officer.”

Reeves said that McGee’s win was the first for the school and the county.

“It meant a lot [to win], especially knowing that I was one of the first to go and campaign and first to win from the county,” McGee said. “It’s pretty exciting. It took me a while to grasp it. I didn’t really understand what I had done until I got home.”

The group had to come up with a slogan, speech and skit for the competition.

“It was just amazing. Preston, as well as the rest of the Beta Club, they had to go out and talk to people and meet people in order for him to win,” Reeves said.

“That to me speaks volumes that in less than 24 hours, they were able to go up there, meet these students and be able to convince them to vote for Preston.”

McGee said Beta Club means a lot to him, and he is excited to see what this year will bring for him.

“BETA is a chance to not only better yourself, but to better you school, your family, your friends and the others around you,” McGee said. “I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people at nationals. It’s not just about winning, it’s about the people that you meet.”

McGee and other members of Dallas County’s Beta Club will compete at nationals in Orlando at the end of June, beginning of July.

McGee plans to attend the University of Alabama to study biology and then go to UAB for dental school to become an orthodontist.