The Richardson Academic Decathlon team was unable to put their pencils down as they took six back-to-back academic tests in a variety of subjects competing for a spot at the State tournament at Rowlett High School.
The Region 10 Academic Decathlon competition focused on World War I, and included events including essay writing, speech, interview, tests in Economics, Language and Literature, Art, Music, History, Math and Science.
“The tests were tough,” senior Marin Young said. “Overall, the team did well, and we’re excited that we qualified for State for the second year in a row. We narrowly missed beating Pearce this time, but we’ll be sure to take them down at State.”
Richardson competed against the toughest teams in the state like Rockwall, Plano, Garland and the other RISD schools. The team finished fourth in 5A and fifth overall.
“Regionals this year went really well,” junior Emily White said. “It was a lot of fun. It was a great bonding experience, and placing in all the subjects was incredible.”
The team is now preparing for their State competition in San Antonio, where they will be competing against the strongest teams in the state for a chance to win scholarships and advance to Nationals in Hawaii.
“The team worked hard, and I’m so proud of how committed they are to helping build a successful program here at RHS,” coach Michael Hill said. “A top five finish in our region is always worth celebrating. The fact that they want to build on their successes is very inspiring.”
The following is a list of the students who placed at the Regional Academic Decathlon Competition.
Lauren Amos – Varsity, 1st in Speech
Chris Campbell – Varsity, Coaches’ Award
Abbie Harris – Varsity, 4th in Interview
Peter Mikhael – Honors, 3rd in Science
Patrick Ralston – Scholastic, 4thin Economics
June Sigler – Scholastic, Coaches’ Award
Emily White – Honors, 1st in Speech, 3rd in Art
Marin Young – Honors, 1st in Music, 2nd in Science, 3rd in Social Science, 4th in Literature, 4th in Math