Elsinore High wins 6th straight Riverside County Academic Decathlon

For the sixth year in a row, the Elsinore High School Tigers from Lake Elsinore Unified School District came out on top at the Riverside County Academic Decathlon sponsored by the Riverside County Office of Education.

The 39th annual competition featured teams from 12 high schools with the theme: “Water: A Most Essential Resource.”

The fully virtual competition started on Jan. 25 with essays, then proceeded to speeches and interviews on Jan. 29. Written tests and the popular “Super Quiz” took place virtually on Feb. 5. 

Western Center Academy finished second while Beaumont High School finished third. Corona High School finished fourth and Great Oak High School was fifth overall. 

The California Academic Decathlon will be held virtually on March 1 through 12. Joining Elsinore High School at the state-level competition will be Western Center Academy, Beaumont High School, Corona High School, Great Oak High School, and Hemet High School. The California state champion will advance to the United States Academic Decathlon from April 21 through 23.

“Academic Decathlon is fun! It is an amazing opportunity that more students should experience because it encourages deep learning, teamwork, skill development and so much more,” said Elsinore High School science teacher and Academic Decathlon coach, Ryan Klopp. “Academic Decathlon gives a deeper meaning to learning, and I am so proud of my team and all the decathletes in Riverside County for their hard work and dedication during another difficult year. It is so exciting to see our students be so successful.”

Each Academic Decathlon team is composed of nine students, three from each grade point

category, and includes three “Honor” (GPA 3.8 through 4.0), three “Scholastic” (GPA 3.20 through 3.79), and three “Varsity” (GPA 0.00 through 3.19) students. Students accumulate individual and team points in written events in mathematics, economics, art, music, literature, science, social science, and Super Quiz.