Vanden High Wins Academic Decathlon for North Bay Region

Solano County Office of Education hosted the North Bay Region Academic Decathlon yesterday at Solano Community College in Fairfield. This year's competition registered 285 students from 17 schools across

eight Bay Area counties.

“I'm thrilled to see more than 280 students challenge themselves to further their learning, knowledge and public speaking skills! SCOE hosts Academic Decathlon to inspire students to foster a spirit of inquiry and lifelong learning, and the performances we saw today leave no doubt that these students are going to achieve lifelong success,” remarked Solano Superintendent of Schools Lisette-Estrella-Henderson.

Since 1981, the Solano County Office of Education has sponsored the Academic Decathlon for local public and private high schools. Students can compete as individuals and as a team in a series of academic tests and demonstrations. This year's competition challenged students from Solano, Contra Costa, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.

The Academic Decathlon is a competitive event modeled

after the Olympics to stimulate academic achievement and honor “athletes of the mind.” The competition provides students the opportunity to participate in an educational forum, which fosters a deep respect for knowledge, cooperation, and self-esteem. The Academic Decathlon includes tests in art, music, language and literature, mathematics, economics, science, and social science. In addition, there are communication tests that include writing of an essay, delivering a prepared and an impromptu speech, and an interview.

Yesterday's rigorous competition resulted in Vanden High School winning first place overall. The team is invited to go on to compete and represent Solano County at the state competition. Campolindo High School took second overall and can proceed to represent Contra Costs County at state. Third place was awarded to Basis Independent Silicon Valley

Charter from Santa Clara County. The top teams from eight counties are invited to compete at the state level.

Travis Credit Union sponsored the event and provided checks to the winning teams to help cover the costs associated with traveling to the state competition. SCOE thanks Travis Credit Union and the multitude of volunteers who support the event and serve as coaches, interview and speech judges, room monitors, runners and super quiz assistants.

To learn more about Academic Decathlon please contact Ken Scarberry at kscarberry@solanocoe.net or call (707) 646-7601.