The Ventura County Office of Education is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Ventura County Academic Decathlon, which was held virtually over the past few weeks for the first time ever due the COVID-19 pandemic. The three teams with the highest overall scores this year are:
- 1st Place: Westlake High School Team A
- 2nd Place: Adolfo Camarillo High School Team A
- 3rd Place: Oxnard High School Team A
A video of the awards presentation is available at this link. The twelve high schools that participated this year are Adolfo Camarillo, Buena, Channel Islands, Fillmore, La Reina, Oxnard, Rancho Campana, Royal, Santa Susana, Thousand Oaks, Ventura and Westlake. The theme for this year's Academic Decathlon is the Cold War.
Westlake will now advance to the state Academic Decathlon. The winning California team moves on to the national competition. Teams representing Ventura County have made it to the nationals six times, placing second in 2000 and 2002, and taking first place in 1999, 2003, 2008 and 2009. A list of past winners is available at this link.
Decathlon Goes Virtual for the First Time
The Academic Decathlon is normally held in high school gyms with teams competing as a large audience cheers them on. Due to the pandemic, that was impossible this year. Instead of cancelling the event, VCOE used online platforms to allow it to be held virtually. While there were some bumps in the road with the new system, students and coaches were appreciative that the event was able to take place.
About the Academic Decathlon
The Academic Decathlon is an opportunity for high school students in Ventura County to compete against like teams of students countywide. Students compete in ten academic events that cover subjects ranging from art to economics. The United States Academic Decathlon is the nation’s premier scholastic competition for students from public and private high schools across the country.
A unique aspect of the competition is that it’s designed to include students from all academic backgrounds. A team consists of nine full-time students from the 9th through 12th grades at the same high school. Each team is comprised of three students whose grade point average falls into the “A” category, three students in the “B” category and three students in the “C” category. Additional information about the Ventura County Academic Decathlon is available at this link.