Team “2”—Going to State—Jordan Austin, Jaqueline Estrada, Ian Weber, Sarah Barnes, Rebecca Swane, Joshua Buttke, Alexander Mairs, Roy Hankins, Jose Ruiz, Team Captain: Justine Moran.

They’re Going to State!

Good luck to the Upper Lake High School team, headed to Sacramento to participate in the grueling California Academic Decathlon State Finals, March 11-14.

Since 1968, the Academic Decathlon has grown into the premier scholastic competition in America. It was created to provide opportunities for high school decathletes to experience the challenges of rigorous team and individual competition. All California public and private high schools are eligible to compete. There are approximately 500 high schools, 13,000 students in 42 counties and districts participating in the California Academic Decathlon.

The team consists of 9 high school students. Upper Lake Coach Anna Sabalone explained that “within each team, there are three categories, based on cumulative grade point average of academically rigorous courses: Honors (4.0-3.51), Scholastic (3.5-3.0) and Varsity (2.9 and below).

"There's a lot that goes into the Academic Decathlon...The students dedicate their after-school hours to studying." said Jamey Gill, director of regional partnerships with University of California San Francisco.

Sabalone  thinks that might be the greatest aspect of the decathlon: preparing you to deal with the unknown. The students focus on ideas of knowledge and ways of studying, but they need to know themselves so they can recognize how they can be the most effective and successful in the time there is to prepare.

The Academic Decathlon consists of a series of academic assessments including written tests in eight subjects, an interview, prepared and impromptu speeches, an essay and a Super Quiz. It was designed to provide a forum for celebrating and acknowledging scholastic achievement and academic excellence in the context of a team environment and fostering a deep respect for knowledge, cooperation, and self-esteem.