Western Center Academy wins academic decathlon

There’s a new winner of Riverside County’s Academic Decathlon.

The Western Center Academy, a charter school in Hemet, on Saturday broke Elsinore High School’s six-year winning streak to claim the 2023 crown.

The Wildomar school, a perennial powerhouse, finished second. Corona High School came in third.

The academy, housed at the Western Science Center near Diamond Valley Lake and a part of the Hemet Unified School District, will now head to state competition. It was the charter school’s first decathlon victory, a Riverside County Office of Education news release states.

The academy with a science focus fielded two teams, a blue and green squad. The blue team finished on top.

The competition started Jan. 18 and ended with the Super Quiz at Canyon

Springs High School in Moreno Valley on Saturday. The county’s 40th annual event had the theme of “The American Revolution and the New Nation.” It featured nearly 100 high school students.

The quiz was staged in front of a live audience unlike last year’s virtual event. Leading to the Super Quiz, contestants flexed their skills in essay, speech and other subjects.

Eight schools from seven school districts competed. In addition to the top three finishers, participants were Beaumont High School, Canyon Springs High School, Great Oak High School in Temecula, Hemet High School and Valley View High School in Moreno Valley.

As county champion, the Western Center Academy will move to the California Academic Decathlon in Santa Clara on March 25. The state winner will advance to the U.S. Academic Decathlon competition in Texas in late April.

PHOTO BY MILKA SOKO Students at Western Center Academy in Hemet, from left, Gavin Shumaker, Sienna Scott and Tatiyana Martin, smile after getting three points during the Super Quiz at the 40th annual Riverside County Academic Decathlon at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley on Saturday.