El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills wins the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon
El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills has won the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon, officials said.
The winner was announced early Saturday at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas. More than 600 students from the U.S., Canada, China and the United Kingdom gathered there over the last three days to compete in the 37th annual U.S. Academic Decathlon.
“Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another impressive victory,” said Vivian Ekchian, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Your academic stamina and competitive spirit to win is remarkable. The entire L.A. Unified family is so proud of you.”
It’s the latest victory for El Camino Real’s powerhouse team, a perennial state and national champion that won LAUSD’s Academic Decathlon in February and has clinched the national Academic Decathlon title seven times in the last two decades — most recently in 2014.
The members of the winning El Camino Real team are Inesh Ahuja, Ashtar Fayoumi, Matthew Fitzmorris, Briana Lincoln, Rachel Markenson, Nolan Origer, Avery Tamura, Maya Teitz and Trevor Winnard. Their coach is Stephanie Franklin.
In Academic Decathlon, nine-member teams of ninth- through 12th-grade students compete in academic contests in 10 categories plus the Super Quiz, a question-and-answer session that draws from all subjects.
The champs scored 54,531.2 out of a possible 60,000 points in the national competition. They also won the Super Quiz, the only public event in the 10-subject contest.
“Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another stunning victory,” said LAUSD board member Scott M. Schmerelson, whose district includes the school. “I commend each of you for your teamwork, discipline and hard work!”
El Camino Real won its first district decathlon in 1989, officials said. The school went on to win both the state and national crowns in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2014.
The team was scheduled to arrive back in California late Saturday.
LAUSD schools have won the national competition 18 times since 1987, and California has held the national title for the last 15 consecutive years.
UPDATES:
1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from school officials.
This article was originally posted at 12:25 p.m.
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