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Granada Hills Charter HS wins 2015 US Academic Decathlon
Members of the North Hollywood Academic Decathlon team in 2008. Granada Hills Charter High School reclaimed their championship title in 2015.
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Steve Yeater/AP
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High school students from Los Angeles have taken back their titles as national champion decathletes.
The eight-member team from Granada Hills Charter High School reclaimed the U.S. Academic Decathlon championship title Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Garden Grove, according to a press release from Los Angeles Unified School District. It is the school's fourth national decathlon championship win in the last five years.
The team — consisting of Peter Cho, Jenean Docter, Natalie Gonzalez, Jasmin Kim, Irene Lee, Tanthai Pongstien, Fernando Sanchez and Jorge Zepeda — beat out over 450 students from across the country with a score of 53,592.3 out of a possible 66,000 points.
"Congratulations to the members of the Granada Hills Charter team for your exemplary performance," Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said in the release. "With your laser-like focus, team spirit and devotion, you proudly represented the LAUSD to the rest of the country."
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According to the press release, Wendy Olvera, Alfonso Caballero, Joseph Nabor and Brian Rios, students at Garfield High School in East L.A., won medals in essay, music, art, interview, literature, economics, science and social science awarded in a new category for individual students.
Garfield High's team placed seventh in the state's decathlon championship contest this year.
Decathlon finalists compete in 10 categories: art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech. This year’s study subject was Alternatives in Energy: Ingenuity & Innovation, according to the press release.
This is the 16th national championship title for an LAUSD school.
For those looking to get into the ACADECA game, below are some study tips from the champions themselves:
Study Tips from Granada's Academic Decathlon Team
This story has been updated.
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