Catoosa County Board of Education recognizes LFO Academic Decathlon Team
On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the Catoosa County Board of Education recognized Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe High School’s Academic Decathlon Team for their success in the state and national competitions. The team was presented with the prestigious Howard Stroud Trophy in February for winning the 2016 PAGE Academic Decathlon State Championship.
Over 200 students from 23 high schools competed in the event. This was LFO’s sixth state championship in the past eight years. The team has also earned 11 Division II championships in the past 12 years.
“It is an honor for the school and the system that LFO’s Academic Decathlon Team won the state competition,” said Superintendent Denia Reese. “It is truly outstanding that LFO has won for six years in a row. I also appreciate Lisa and Ian Beck for their dedication to prepare the team to succeed in this competition every year.”
Based on their success at the state competition, LFO represented Georgia at the national competition in Anchorage, Alaska, April 28-30. The team placed 23rd in Division I and eighth in Division II.
Academic Decathlon is unique in that it enables not only traditionally high-performing “A” students to be challenged. It also includes students who struggle with traditional school lessons, but who love to learn. The final team is comprised of nine students: three students with “A” averages (3.75- 4.00 GPA), three students with “B” averages (3.0-3.74 GPA), and three students with “C” averages (below 3.0 GPA).
Team members began preparing in August 2015 by reading and studying approximately 1,000 pages of college-level material. All nine team members compete in all 10 events. The competition theme changes each year. This year’s theme was India.