Academic Decathlon shines with four state qualifiers
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School board honored those state qualifiers during March meeting
The highest levels of competition are not always on field or a court. Academic Decathlon is a premier team-based competition for high school students in which the students spend months studying and preparing to test themselves against those from other schools. This year, ECISD’s Academic Decathlon teams shined with four teams qualifying for state competitions.
Odessa Collegiate Academy led the charge, finishing 3rd in the state, winning the state championship in the Super Quiz event, and posting the highest score in their team’s history.
New Tech Odessa captured 5th place in the state, earning 14 medals along the way (6 of those were golds).
The STEM Academy has now been competing in Decathlon for two years and has earned a spot at state both times. This year’s team earned eight individual medals.
Odessa High School earned its spot at state with a Regional Championship where the team captured more than 30 medals.
If you are not familiar with it, Academic Decathlon is made up of 10 events covering 7 subjects – science, literature, art, music, social science, economics, and math, plus a Super Quiz. All are built around a central theme of study. Competitors take tests, write essays, and deliver speeches as part of the 10 events; the Super Quiz is a true team battle to answer questions in a game-show style format. The students and their coaches spend months studying and preparing for these contests.
Each high school enters a team of nine students: 3 Honor students (3.80 - 4.00 GPA), 3 Scholastic students (3.20 - 3.799 GPA), and 3 Varsity students (0.00 - 3.199 GPA).
Team Rosters:
STEM Academy
Iva Hodges - Head Coach
Nicole Olivas - Assistant Coach
Team: Karli Kenshaw
Katie Lynn Poindexter
Alexa Disney
Genesis Cruz
Ilene Kurtz
Jasmine Rodriguez
Thomas Harlow – won a Gold Medal in Economics and earned a scholarship for placing 4th overall
Christian Galvan
Taylor McCarty
New Tech Odessa
Yoana Picazo - Head Coach
Neftali Silva - Assistant Coach
Margaret Augesen – Assistant Coach
Team: Antonio Apodaca
Javier Hernandez
Isaiah Zubia
Esteban Zubua – earned 1st place in the Scholastic Division
Lorena Spruill
Zia Sanchez
Maria Losoya
Phoenix Atkinson
Odessa Collegiate Academy
Mikal Crowder - Head Coach
Lydia Roundtree - Assistant Coach
Team: Mallory Hough
Betanya Hailu
Emilia Sanchez
Madison Garcia
Isabella Hunt
Zada Cobos
Sephira Gutierrez
Elisa Gonzalez
Roxanna Martinez
Rianna Ornelas
Kaitlyn Nicolas
Odessa High School
Javier Ruiz – Head Coach
Billy Ustler - Assistant Coach
Nicole Jackson – Assistant Coach
Lindsey Bell – Assistant Coach
Team: Amir Larbi
Branner Marroquin
Diya Reddy – 1st place in Honors Speech with a perfect score of 1,000
Nevayah Scott
Nicomedes Carrasco
Addyson Carpenter
Xzayden Castillo
Martilina Aguilar – 1st place Varsity Speech
