01.27.08
Posted in Yada Yada, Driller of the Week, Schools, Boys, Girls, Stockdale, Education, Arvin, Driller Noise, Academic Decathlon at 10:56 am by Administrator
Arvin gives Stockdale a run for its money in academic decathlon
BY ANDY KEHE, Californian staff writer
e-mail: akehe@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Feb 2 2008 10:45 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, Feb 2 2008 11:05 PM
photos HERE
videos HERE
Tyler Murray isn’t normally much of a morning person, he says. But on Saturday, he was wide awake early, ready to be tested on his knowledge of a variety of topics, including the Civil War.
With no cheats, peeks, copies or saves to bail them out, Murray, his teammates from Stockdale High and students from 17 other Kern County high schools fired away at questions and wrote essays about music, art, literature, social science, math, economics and finally, in the marquee oral Super Quiz competition, the Civil War.
In the end, it was defending champion Stockdale, paced by Laura Stearns, that recorded seven individual category wins, emerging as the winner of the 28th Kern County Academic Decathlon held at Bakersfield College.
Stockdale High will represent Kern County in the California Academic Decathlon March 7-10 in Sacramento. The state winner advances to the national finals April 30-May 3 in Garden Grove.
The victory did not come without intense pressure from the Arvin, Cesar Chavez and Bakersfield highs — particularly during the afternoon’s nerve-wracking Civil War-themed session during which Stockdale rallied late with its Honors team to forge a tie for the oral Super Quiz championship with Arvin.
Stockdale and Arvin will share the coveted Milo Hall award designating the winner of the Super Quiz competition.
“I appreciate the opportunities Arvin gives its students,” said senior Estephani Garcia, delighted that her Arvin team will share the Hall award with Stockdale. “We mostly come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to have the opportunity to compete and show that we can be as good as anybody is an honor in itself.”
Arvin finished fourth overall. Cesar Chavez, last year’s runner-up, was third and BHS, third in the Super Quiz, was second overall.
The morning session tested students’ general knowledge, but from 2 to 3:30 p.m. it was all Civil War, all the time. Students faced 30 questions in all, asked in rapid fashion and in front of family, teachers and friends.
Each school had nine members, divided into three three-member divisions — Varsity, Scholastic, and Honors. With all the schools lumped together in the Gil Bishop Center gym, each division took a turn fielding 10 questions each.
By the time the Honors teams were facing question No. 10 — the 30th and last overall — Stockdale led Arvin by one point.
But three Arvin students to two for Stockdale knew the answer to what Confederate Gen. George Pickett believed to be the reason why the Confederates lost the Battle of Gettysburg — Pickett remarked that he “always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.”
The Arvin team was ready for it, even though it was not a specific question it prepared for.
“That was something we had made fun of when we were preparing — of course he would say the Yankees had something to do with it,” Garcia said.
Murray said he knew the answer as well, but facing his first Super Quiz competition, was surprised by how challenging it was.
“The oral, it was pretty intense,” he said. “Everybody’s looking at you and the questions are coming at you left and right.”
Stearns and the next six highest finishers from Kern County will be honored on March 11 in Sacramento with the first ever Governor’s Academic Recognition Award.
The others in order of finish were Melissa Couch, Johnathan Shih and Michael Brown from Stockdale High, Jordan Goh and Grant Paulson from Bakersfield High and Stephen Wight, Stockdale.
OVERALL STUDENT WINNERS
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity
2nd — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT CATEGORY WINNERS
Language and Literature
1st — Laura Stearns, Honors, Stockdale; Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Phillip Viramontes, Arvin, Scholastic: Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity, Micaela Neira, Stockdale, Varsity, Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity
2nd — Christopher Anderson, Bakersfield, Honors; Angelica Torres, Wasco, Scholastic; Ingrid Martinez, Arvin, Varsity; Eduardo Figueroa, Wasco, Varsity
3rd — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Evelyn Zuniga, Arvin, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity
Music
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Sean Panick, Bakersfield, Varsity
2nd — Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Cynthia Rivera, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Abigail Orfano, Cesar Chavez, Honors; Juliet Kidwell, Mojave, Scholastic; Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
Science
1st — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity
2nd — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Estephani Garcia, Arvin, Honors; Alejandro Martinez, Wasco, Honors; Wesley Elrich, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Corina Ruiz, Wasco, Scholastic; Micaela Neira, Stockdale, Varsity
Art
1st — Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
2nd — Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors, Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity
3rd — Dafne Luna, Cesar Chavez, Scholastic; Alejandro Martinez, Wasco, Honors; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity; Matthew Miller, Bakersfield, Varsity; Sean Panick, Bakersfield, Varsity
Mathematics
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity
2nd — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Christopher Underhill, Bakersfield Christian, Honors; Grant Paulson, Bakersfield, Honors; Edwin Nunez, Cesar Chavez, Scholastic; Christine Hagerman, Centennial, Scholastic; Benjamin Bradley, Wasco, Scholastic; Miles Johnson, Liberty, Varsity
3rd — Abigail Orfano, Cesar Chavez, Honors; Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Jairus Vasquez, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity; David Escobar, West, Varsity; Edward Jones, West, Varsity
Economics
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Sean Panick, Bakersfield, Varsity
2nd — Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Gatz Nieblas, Stockdale, Varsity
3rd — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Jeffrey Cooke, Frontier, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity; Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity
Essay
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Manuel Barrios, East Bakersfield, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity
2nd — Amanda Scales, West, Honors; Patrick Arvizu, West, Scholastic; Micaela Neira, Stockdale, Varsity
3rd — Johnathan Shih, Stockdale, Honors; Tyler Murray, Stockdale, Scholastic; Gatz Nieblas, Stockdale, Varsity
Speech
1st — Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity; Michael Brown, Stockdale, Scholastic; Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Anthony Goyette, Bakersfield, Varsity; Jairus Vasquez, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Benjamin Bradley, Wasco, Scholastic
2nd — Paulina Gamez, Arvin, Honors; Mark Trujillo, Arvin, Scholastic; Isamar Garcia, Mojave, Scholastic; Cynthia Rivera, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Edwin Nunez, Cesar Chavez, Scholastic; Gatz Nieblas, Stockdale, Varsity; Matthew Miller, Bakersfield, Varsity
Interview
1st — Estephani Garcia, Arvin, Honors; Matthew Rodgers, Highland, Honors; Jazmin Morales, Bakersfield Christian, Varsity; Tyler Murray, Stockdale, Scholastic
2nd — Diana McDermott, Liberty, Honors; Jairus Vasquez, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Cynthia Rivera, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Aubrey Singh, Frontier, Honors; Juliet Kidwell, Mojave, Scholastic; Gatz Nieblas, Stockdale, Varsity
Super Quiz
1st — Laura Stearns, Stockdale, Honors; Jordan Goh, Bakersfield, Scholastic; Grant Brady, Stockdale, Varsity
2nd — Melissa Couch, Stockdale, Honors; Phillip Viramontes, Arvin, Scholastic; Roman Garza, Cesar Chavez, Varsity
3rd — Evelyn Zuniga, Arvin, Honors; Stephen Wight, Stockdale, Scholastic; Eduardo Figueroa, Wasco, Varsity
Preview below:
Super Quiz is scheduled to start at 2:00 in the B.C. gym and awards are scheduled for 5:30 in the indoor theatre.
you should go to this event. the super quiz is great. the questions are on a big screen and after each question the scores are updated like a basketball game.
all time driller scores HERE
for more info on Kern County Academic Decathlon go HERE.
photos HERE
California Academic Decathlon info HERE
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11.21.07
Posted in Yada Yada, Education, Academic Decathlon at 9:42 pm by Administrator
my son christopher made BHS’s honor squad today. they had their academic decathlon scrimmage today and the the teams will be named next week. since he got the second highest score, he will be on this year’s squad.
click HERE for BHS AcaDec Scores video
last year, he was fourth and only the top three make the team.
Honor 3.75-4.00
Scholastic 3.00-3.74
Varsity below 2.99
technically his gpa put him in the Scholastic division but since his gpa was from bakersfield college. they felt it wouldnt be fair for him to compete as a scholastic so he was an alternate for the honor’s team.
this year he truly was an honor student and he made the honors team.
A team consists of nine students from the same school. The nine-member team is comprised of three Varsity, three Scholastic and three Honor students in the following categories:
Contestants may compete in a higher division than their own GPA, but not in a lower division (i.e., a Scholastic student may compete as an Honor student, but not as a Varsity student).
The final team score is made up of only six scores: the highest two Honor, two Scholastic and two Varsity totals. Because of this fact, no team carries more than nine members, and if fewer than nine students choose to participate, the team is still fully eligible for overall awards.
The California Academic Decathlon is a statewide non-profit organization that promotes an educational experience providing a format in which teams of nine high school students compete in academic events. All California public and private high schools are eligible to compete. The Academic Decathlon embodies a partnership of business, foundations and individuals in cooperation with the education community and county offices of education.
There are currently over 500 high schools in 42 counties and districts participating in the California Academic Decathlon. The makeup of each of the nine member teams must include three A students, three B students, and three C or below students.
Academic Decathletes take 30 minute multiple choice tests in the subjects of Economics, Art, Music, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. In addition, each team member gives a planned 4 minute Speech and a 2 minute impromptu Speech, sits through a 7 minute Interview, and has 50 minutes to write an Essay. The only event open to the public is the Super Quiz Oral Relay which deals with either the Science or Social Science topic.
The Academic Decathlon season involves 4 rounds of competition. The United States Academic Decathlon publishes the curriculum in May. Round 1 is a non-scoring scrimmage typically held in November. Round 2 consists of district and county competitions held on the first Saturday in February. The winners of Round 2 plus a limited number of invited teams then compete in Round 3 which is the CAD State Finals held sometime in mid-March. The State Champion then represents California in Round 4, the USAD Nationals held in late April.
Since national competition began in 1982, California has performed in a superior manner, winning 10 national titles and posting 11 second place finishes.
click HERE for AcaDec website
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