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Play like a champion

County Academic Decathlon champions prepare for the State competition

Laughter and sarcasm fill room S1 at Manteca High School as the reigning County Academic Decathlon champions prepare for the State competition on March 19-22 in Sacramento. The students confidently joke that they don’t need to practice – they’re a shoo-in for making it to Nationals – as the 11-year veteran Academic Decathlon Coach and Teacher, Michael McCullough, acts as the proctor of the essay portion of the competition. However, their work ethic would say otherwise. “I would study for three to four hours after school and anytime I had a free minute between or during other classes,” said Gavin O’Malley, the 16-year old junior, who tied for Overall Speech winner in the Honors (3.75-4.0+) division. However, he agreed with team captain, Allyson Paul, that the team’s camaraderie helped them perform their best. “The inside jokes, memories and games we played are really what helped us remember the information and get the couple of extra points we needed to win,” said Paul and O’Malley. 

McCullough agrees, but says this growing sense of commitment started with a group of Decathletes five years ago. “It was their enthusiasm that helped set the stage for these students,” says McCullough. “In that time, I acquired expertise on how to get them to the next level, but none of that would be relevant if they weren’t committed.” Much like the credo for the California Academic Decathlon Association, McCullough shares that although the information they learn is important, the Academic Decathlon teaches students that learning matters and their intelligence makes a difference.

Manteca High took first-place overall at this year’s 34th Annual San Joaquin County Academic Decathlon held January 31 and February 7, 2015, at the San Joaquin County Office of Education and Lathrop High School. Manteca High School competed against 12 San Joaquin County high schools with the 2015 theme of New Alternatives in Energy. The Academic Decathlon included essay, interview, and speech competitions, objective tests in art, economics, language/literature, math, music, social science, science, and a high-energy Super Quiz. There were three divisions of scholars per nine-member team, including: 3 Honors (3.75-4.0+); 3 Scholastic (3.00-3.74), and 3 Varsity (0.00-2.99).

San Joaquin County Office of Education sponsors the Annual County Academic Decathlon each year, with some expenses paid through the courtesy of the San Joaquin County Office of Education Educational Foundation which provides money to enhance and upgrade the program.

The California Academic Decathlon Association encourages and rewards academic excellence by motivating and preparing students through cooperative and competitive events.

For information about the State Academic Decathlon, visit http://academicdecathlon.org/index.htm. For information about the County Academic Decathlon, visit http://sjcoe.org/academicdecathlon/#.VPDOz7PF8cs.

Congratulations to the winners in all categories!

Top Overall School: Manteca High School, Manteca Unified School District

Second-Place Overall: Middle College High School, Lodi Unified School District

Third-Place Overall:  Stockton Unified Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District

Overall Top-Scoring Student:        Zachary Benjamin, Middle College High School, Lodi Unified School District (also received $1,000 Walter Rathhaus Award)

Top Three Super Quiz Teams      (Received individual medals and a team plaque):

First-Place: Middle College High School, Lodi Unified School District

Second-Place: Manteca High School, Manteca Unified School District

Third-Place: Stockton Unified Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District

Top Overall Students (Received medals, certificates and scholarships):              

Honors                                 

First-Place ($500): Zachary Benjamin, Middle College High School, Lodi Unified School District

Second-Place ($200):  Jessica Tang, Manteca High School, Manteca Unified School District

Third-Place ($100): Hamza Raniwala, Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District

Scholastic

First-Place ($500): Emerald Frank, Stockton Unified Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District

Second-Place ($200): Ilias Lopez-Corona, Middle College High School, Lodi Unified School District

Third-Place ($100): Kansas Seung, Stockton Unified Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District

Varsity

First-Place ($500): Dylan Vega, Manteca High School, Manteca Unified School District

Second-Place ($200): Aaron Singh, Manteca High School, Manteca Unified School District

Third-Place ($100): Alexandria Gilligan, Stockton Unified Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District

University of the Pacific awarded five renewable $5,000 scholarships to the following deserving decathletes that have met the University requirements and have shown a strong desire to attend the University:

Carina Lopez, Lincoln High School, Lincoln Unified School District

Brandon Bongcaron, Ronald E. McNair High School, Lodi Unified School District

Kelly Jamie Chesbrough, TLC - Millennium Charter School, Tracy Unified School District

Mahir Pepic, Manteca High, Manteca Unified School District

Lisa Ngyuwen, Cesar Chavez High School, Stockton Unified School District

Posted: 3/3/2015