ECISD Decathletes capture 3 of top 10 spots in state

Three of the top 10 Small School academic decathlon teams in Texas are from Ector County ISD. New Tech Odessa, Odessa Collegiate Academy, and the STEM Academy at UTPB all qualified for the Decathlon State Meet contested in Frisco.

New Tech Odessa took third place in the rigorous competition, OCA finished in sixth place, and the STEM Academy, in its first year of decathlon, was tenth.

NTO’s Rohan Reed placed 2^nd overall in the Scholastic category, capturing 1^st place in the individual contests for Art and Science.

Betanya Hailu from OCA earned a perfect score on her speech.

Maci Jo Baker was the top scorer for STEM Academy.  

Others who won individual contests were Kevin Enriquez (NTO) in Scholastic Science; Mary Rivera (NTO) Varsity Math and Speech; Yadiel Hernandez-Rodriguez (NTO) Varsity Interview; Elizabeth Lopez (NTO) Varsity Speech; Daniel Oyebanji (OCA) Honors Art; and Mallory Hough (OCA) Honors Art.

“We are incredibly proud of all of our Decathlon students and their coaches,” said ECISD Director of Advanced Academic Services Dr. Kristen Vesely. “Decathlon is extremely challenging with the diverse range of topics, the amount of study time it involves, and the intensity of the competition.

“Yet, those are the same elements that lead to the student’s personal growth, great sense of achievement, and confidence gained through their effort,” added Vesely.   

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).

 

Pictured: The team from New Tech Odessa is at the top of the page; just below is OCA followed by STEM Academy. All the pictures were taken at the state competition. Each team's roster of students and coaches are below the photos.

 

 

 

Team Rosters:

New Tech Odessa

Yoana Picazo - Head Coach

Neftali Silva - Assistant Coach

 

Honors:   Antonio Apodaca

         Adrian Rodriguez

         Joel Ramos

Scholastic: Rohan Reed

         Kevin Enriquez

         Ethan Palomares

Varsity:   Mary Rivera

         Yadiel Hernandez Rodriguez

         Elizabeth Lopez

Alternates: Javier Hernandez

         Lorena Spruill

         Maria Losoya

 

Odessa Collegiate Academy

Mikal Crowder - Head Coach

Lydia Roundtree - Assistant Coach

 

Honors:   Daniel Oyebanji

          Mallory Hough

          Betanya Hailu

Scholastic: Madison Garcia

          Roxanna Martinez

          Zada Cobos

Varsity:    Sephira Guitierrez

          Josh Selby

Alternates: Rianna Ornelas

          Jocelyn Balderas

 

STEM Academy

Iva Hodges - Head Coach

Nicole Olivas - Assistant Coach

 

Honors:    Elise Jones

           Maci Jo Baker

           Karli Kershaw

Scholastic:   Kamryn Kershaw

           Miles Mundkowsky

           Thomas Harlow

Varsity:     Isaac Rangel

           Lily Biggerstaff

           Haylee Vargas

Alternates:  Genesis Cruz

            Iris Ramirez

            Ilene Kurtz