Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies won the Los Angeles Unified School District’s 42nd annual Academic Decathlon and was presented the Superintendent’s Trophy on Saturday, Feb. 25 in a room filled with excited students and their teachers at a banquet held at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar.
The Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (SOCES) team got 37,165.2 out of 60,000 possible points thanks to students Nathan Ark, Khusanjon Bobokhojaev, Cristian Claiborne, Galgamuge De Silva, Eva Karamanoukian, Sara Kovalev-Sheinberg, David Olvera, Barbara Ortiz and Jaylen Patel.
Van Nuys High School earned second-place honors with 36,545.8 points, in a tight competition with Verdugo Hills High School with 36,215.3 points. Close on their heels, the other top six schools were Bell High School with 35,958.6 points, James A. Garfield High School with 34,235.9 points and John Marshall High School with 33,766.5 points.
These six highest-scoring schools compete in the statewide California Academic Decathlon on March 24-26 in Santa Clara.
Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho on Saturday noted that every student involved put in tremendous effort in the sprawling district, saying, “Since August 2022, our students have dedicated countless hours before and after school to prepare for this competition. Their perseverance and passion for academic achievement is inspiring.”
He told the winning students, “Good luck in the state championship” and also thanked “every single coach, family member, employee and friend who supported our decathletes along the way.”
Hundreds of decathletes from 50 high schools, and their parents, friends, teachers and principals attended the awards, joined by LAUSD board members Scott M. Schmerelson, Rocío Rivas and Nick Melvoin, along with Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Dr. Karla V. Estrada and regional superintendents David Baca, Denise Collier and Jose P. Huerta.
“Congratulations to Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies for winning LAUSD’s 42nd Annual Academic Decathlon and to Van Nuys High School for earning second-place honors,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said in a statement, adding, “We are so proud.”
Board President Jackie Goldberg said, “Bring that trophy back home to Los Angeles!”
Winners in the statewide March competition will go on to the United States Academic Decathlon Nationals on April 27-29 in Frisco, Texas.
This year’s LAUSD Academic Decathlon tested students’ knowledge of “The American Revolution and the New Nation.” The competition included an essay, an interview, a prepared speech, knowledge tests and, finally, the Super Quiz which was held early in February in front of an audience.
At the Super Quiz on Feb. 4, SOCE and Verdugo Hills High School topped the scoreboard with 30,000 points, in unofficial results at Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Academic Decathlon is open to students in grades 9-12 and participation is by choice. Nine team members are divided into three divisions based on their grade point averages, and students compete in individual and team competitions. Teams have an adult head coach and usually an assistant coach.
The Academic Decathlon was founded in 1968 in Orange County, California, went statewide in 1979 and in 1981 went national.
According to LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell website page, the “district holds the record for wins with 23 state titles and 19 national championships.”
LAUSD Academic Decathlon information: bit.ly/3XJdS3o
General information on how the contest works: www.usad.org/The-Experience/How-the-Events-Work.aspx and what students learned from this year’s participation: www.usad.org/The-Experience/Online-Events.aspx