Bella Vista High School, from the San Juan Unified School District, is the winner of the 2016 Sacramento County Academic Decathlon competition. The team now advances to the U.S. Academic Decathlon April 1-5 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova Unified) finished second in the local competition and Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove Unified) placed third.
Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon announced individual and team winners of the 36th Annual Sacramento County Academic Decathlon, held February 6 at Inderkum High School. The top scorers were honored February 9 at an awards banquet presented by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) at the CSU Sacramento University Union Ballroom. Kevin Riggs, Senior Vice President for Randall Communications, served as banquet emcee.
SAFE Credit Union provided $10,000 in scholarships to be distributed among top-scoring students. SAFE Chief Executive Officer Henry Wirz was on hand to personally congratulate all participants.
Hundreds of Sacramento County high school students, along with students from Placer County, competed in the 2016 Sacramento County Academic Decathlon. A total of 24 teams, including three from Placer County, participated. The Placer County teams competed amongst themselves and were scored separately.
To prepare for the Academic Decathlon, students devoted months of study to the 2016 theme: "India." Students competed for awards in 10 demanding categories: economics, art, science, social science, language/literature, mathematics, music, essay, interview, and speech. Super Quiz questions were posed by KTXL Fox 40 morning host Paul Robins.
Each high school Academic Decathlon team is comprised of nine students—three with "A" grade averages, three with "B" averages and three with "C" averages—who compete against those with the same grade average. Coaches are local high school teachers. Academic "Decathletes" not only grow in academic achievement; they learn about teamwork, goal-setting, planning and leadership.
2016 Photos and Multimedia
- Teams photo gallery
- Super Quiz photo gallery
- Awards Banquet photo gallery
- Awards Banquet video (YouTube)
- KTXL 40 Promotion of Super Quiz
Top-Scoring Teams
- 1st Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan Unified)
- 2nd Place: Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova Unified)
- 3rd Place: Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove Unified)
- 4th Place: Del Campo High School (San Juan Unified)
- 5th Place: Vista del Lago High School (Folsom Cordova Unified)
Schools Placing Highest in the Super Quiz
- 1st Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan Unified)
- 2nd Place: Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova Unified)
- 3rd Place: Del Campo High School (San Juan Unified)
"Teams on the Move"
(Schools recognized based on overall improvement.)
- McClatchy High School (Sacramento City Unified)
- Vista del Lago High School (Folsom Cordova Unified)
Team Results
The County Academic Decathlon is coordinated by SCOE staff and community volunteers. For additional information, e-mail or phone Craig Irish: (916) 228-2660.