Academic Decathlon 2023
On March 4th, the Academic Decathletes of St. Philip Apostle School participated in the Academic Junior High Decathlon (AJHD) of 2023.
In the San Gabriel region, our school competed against eighteen other Catholic Schools.
These decathletes began studying and preparing back in September, and continued doing so all the way to the competition.
Our school had two decathlon teams, the Red team and the White team.
The students participated in several individual subjects, a Super quiz portion, and a Logic and Reasoning test.
This year’s decathlon team consisted of the following individuals:
Our Coaches:
Ms. Medlin
Mr. Williams
The Red Team:
Current Events – Thay Duong
English – Sophia Huynh
Fine Arts – Maya Ulick-Gallegos
Literature – Bella Moreno
Math – Timothy Henriques
Religion – Sasha Sepulveda
Science – Antonio Camara
Social Studies – Henry Ross (Team Captain)
Generalist 1 – Scarlet Yost
Generalist 2 – Charlotte Petersen
The White Team:
Current Events – Viviana Leyva
English – Phyllis Knoll
Fine Arts – Kaelani Perez
Literature – Lila Munoz
Math – Evelyn Kinderman
Religion – Francis Benett
Science – Emily Gonzales
Social Studies – Zachary Bloss
Generalist 1 – Alexander Alimi (Team Captain)
Generalist 2 – Elizabeth Rweyemamu
The Alternates:
Owen Core
Giulia Dye
Aiden Valenzuela
Samuel Bruchey
Kaelani Perez
Dimitra Gittings
Mark Hiddleson
Cristian Garcia
Lacey Mayer
Tala Morente
Angelica Guerrero
The competition lasted from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, leaving the Decathletes exhausted.
Once the competition ended, everyone anxiously awaited the results.
Ultimately, all of the hard work over several months paid off.
The Red team placed 3rd in Super quiz.
Sophia Huynh from the Red team placed 3rd in English individual subject, and Timothy Henriques from the Red team placed 2nd in Math individual subject.
The White team placed 3rd overall and 2nd in the Logic Test.
Many of the competitors left the Decathlon feeling satisfied with their performance.
I asked a couple of the Decathletes if they would recommend participating in this team, and how their experience was.
Their responses were very positive.
Emily Gonzales, the Science individual subject Decathlete from the White team said, “Being on the team was a great way to be involved in school. You also have a chance to bring home an award, and it is a fun experience to be able to compete and go to the practices. The snacks are amazing as well.”
Bella Moreno, the Literature individual subject Decathlete from the Red team noted, “I am really thankful towards our Coaches, and I am grateful for all the support they gave us and how they prepared us for this big day.
Thay Duong, the Current Events individual subject Decathlete from the Red team shared, “I recommend being in the Decathlon because it expands your knowledge, builds good study skills, and boosts teamwork and competitiveness. It was really fun, and I would do it again if I had another year.”
Owen Core, an alternate, said, “I had a lot of fun studying and it also prepared me for high school. Even though I didn’t compete I was still very excited for the competition and I was very proud of all of my teammates.”