West Valley High School from Hemet has won the Riverside County Academic Decathlon for the third year in a row. The winning students from 14 teams representing 14 high schools were honored Tuesday (February 8, 2011) at Lakeside High School.

Second place honors went to Hemet High School (Hemet) and third place to Elsinore High School (Lake Elsinore). (Winning team photos | all photos)

The theme this year was The Great Depression.

West Valley High School will go on to the March 11-14, 2011 California Academic Decathlon in Sacramento. The national competition is April 27-30 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Academic Decathlon is sponsored by the Riverside County Office of Education. Students from grades nine through twelve competed as individuals and as team members in a series of ten academic tests and demonstrations.

Each team is composed of nine students, three from each grade point category, and includes three Honor (GPA 3.75-4.00), three Scholastic (GPA 3.00-3.75), and three Varsity (GPA 0.00-2.99) students. Students accumulate individual and team points in written events in mathematics, economics, art, music, language/literature, social science, and Super Quiz. Decathletes must also write an essay, participate in a panel interview, and give prepared and impromptu speeches.

The first day of competition included the speeches, interviews, and essay writing and the second day featured academic testing and the Super Quiz.

Hemet High School won the Super Quiz, Elsinore High School placed second, and West Valley High School placed third.

List of all winners

For information contact:
Rick Peoples, Public Information Officer
Telephone: (951) 826-6642
Fax: (951) 826-6199
rpeoples@rcoe.us