Vision of Academic Decathlon: Excelling academically through team competition

More than 430 students representing 30 high school teams will be vying for the coveted Sweepstakes Award and a chance to represent Fresno County at the state’s competition in what many refer to as ‘the most rigorous academic competition in the nation.’
The 2011 Fresno County Academic Decathlon will be held on Saturday, February 5 at Clovis East High School. Teams are comprised of three “A” students, three “B” students, and three “C” students who compete in ten areas of study: art, music, language and literature, mathematics, economics, speech, interview, essay, science and the Super Quiz. This year’s Super Quiz theme is “The Great Depression.”
Like the decathlon of the ancient Greeks, the Academic Decathlon consists of ten exacting and exciting activities. While the Greek events were contests of physical strength, Academic Decathlon is a contest of academic strength. “You’ll hear this competition referred to as the ‘battle of the brains’ because it requires those brave enough to participate to study demanding curriculum, work individually and as teams, sacrifice social time and dedicate themselves to the noble pursuit of excellence,” according to Larry Powell, superintendent of schools.
The 2011 Decathlon will be hosted in part by California State University, Fresno and Clovis East High School, coordinated by the Fresno County Office of Education and sponsored by participating high schools and local businesses. The Awards Ceremony will be held on the same evening at 7:30 p.m., also in the East Gym. Over $16,000 in savings bonds will be awarded to participating students.
Fresno County’s winning team will compete in the California State Decathlon, March 11-14 in Sacramento, California. The state championship team will advance to the National Decathlon in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 27-30.