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CAP/ Awards fill a table at the 2023 Riverside County Academic Decathlon. | Photo courtesy of the Office of Education
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Competition in the Riverside County Academic Decathlon is set to start Saturday, with students from 11 area high schools set to compete in the multiday event sponsored by the County Office of Education.
“Today’s students are growing up in the age of artificial intelligence and seeing firsthand how it interacts with the human experience,” Office of Education spokesman Craig Petinak said in a statement. “The reality of this moment in history is reflected in the theme of the 41st Annual Riverside County Academic Decathlon.”
With the theme “Technology and Humanity,” students will test skills in various subjects and a Super Quiz event as they vie for invitation to the statewide academic competition. The decathlon culminates with the in-person Super Quiz and awards ceremony on Jan. 27.
“Academic Decathlon, like its ancient Greek counterpart, is a 10-event contest,” Petinak said. “Participants demonstrate their academic strength by completing seven written tests, writing an essay, delivering a prepared and an impromptu speech, and participating in an interview. The Super Quiz is a team event held before a live audience.”
Each decathlon team is composed of nine students — three from each grade-point-average categories that include Honor, GPA 3.80-4.00; Scholastic, GPA 3.20-3.799; and Varsity, 0.00-3.199) students.
On Saturday, students will start the competition with essay writing and objective tests.
Two Saturdays later on Jan. 27, teams will do the speech and interview portion of the competition followed by the Super Quiz — the only event open to the public other than the awards ceremony. The Super Quiz starts at 1 p.m., and the awards ceremony follows at 4 p.m. Both events are at Canyon Springs High School, 23100 Cougar Canyon Road in Moreno Valley.
The awards ceremony will feature individual honors as well as the announcement of the team that will win the right to represent the county at the California Academic Decathlon on March 22-23 in Santa Clara. The California statewide champion advances to the United States Academic Decathlon set for April 25-27 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the county’s 2023 academic decathlon, Western Center Academy from the Hemet Unified School District claimed the championship for the first time in school history. Second-place finishers were from Elsinore High School, followed by Corona High School in third, Beaumont High School in fourth and Hemet High School taking fifth place.
The Riverside County high schools competing this year are Beaumont High School, Beaumont USD; Corona High School, Corona-Norco USD; Hemet High School, Hemet USD; Western Center Academy, Hemet USD; Elsinore High School, Lake Elsinore USD; Temescal Canyon High School, Lake Elsinore USD; Valley View High School, Moreno Valley USD; Vista Del Lago High School, Moreno Valley USD; Heritage High School, Perris Union High SD; Great Oak High School, Temecula Valley USD; and John W. North High School, Riverside USD.
Prior to Western Center Academy’s victory last year, Riverside County Academic Decathlon results going back to 2006 tallied as follows: 2017-2022 Elsinore; West Valley, 2015-16 and 2009-2013; and Hemet, 2014 and 2006-08.
