Orange County students gear up to the compete in day one of the Orange County Academic Decathlon on Jan. 25 at Westminster High School. 
Orange County students gear up to the compete in day one of the Orange County Academic Decathlon on Jan. 25 at Westminster High School. 
Orange County students gear up to the compete in day one of the Orange County Academic Decathlon on Jan. 25 at Westminster High School. 
Orange County students gear up to the compete in day one of the Orange County Academic Decathlon on Jan. 25 at Westminster High School.
On Saturday, Feb. 1, high school teams representing 34 campuses with go head-to-head on day two of the Orange County Academic Decathlon at Westminster High School.
The competition, organized by OCDE, will host 550 students as they demonstrate their brain power through a series of 30-minute multiple choice tests in subjects ranging from language and literature to mathematics and economics.
Academic decathletes kicked off the competition Jan. 25 by reciting prepared and impromptu speeches followed by participating in personal interviews. The final round on Saturday will feature the Super Quiz Relay, where nine students from each team will race against the clock to score academic points in a thrilling, sports-like showdown.
Kristin Rigby, OCDE’s coordinator of academic events, said she has witnessed many students form close friendships and develop new connections through their participation in the academic decathlon each year.
“Decathlon is a team sport that gives students an opportunity to connect with others they might not have talked to on campus otherwise,” Rigby said. “Students on the decathlon team often say their team feels like a second family because they spend so much time together studying and preparing for competition.”
The Academic Decathlon is a 10-event scholastic event founded by former Orange County Superintendent Dr. Robert Peterson in 1968 and staged at the county, state and national levels. The program aims to engage students of all academic abilities and achievement levels.
Individual participants and teams that excel in the decathlon will receive medals at a Feb. 7 awards ceremony at Orange Coast College.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Troy High School student Brandon Kim recently hosted his first-ever drone technology competition for 16 teams of high school students and 30 teams of middle school students through his nonprofit organization, Drones4Kids.
- Starting Wednesday, Orange County schools rang in the Lunar New Year with performances featuring lion dancers and cultural activities, like the exchanging of red envelopes, to honor the Year of the Snake.
- The OCDE Connections site at Mann Elementary School recently launched its new Deaf and Hard of Hearing with Disabilities program to meet the differing needs of each student through comprehensive, specialized services.
- Once school is out of session, children throughout the state can receive free breakfast and lunch through the Summer Food Service Program. Schools, camps, nonprofits and more can apply starting Feb. 18.
- On Wednesday, the White House rescinded a recently-issued funding freeze that would have impacted some federal grants and loans.
- From leading on-ice activities to demonstrating the properties of a hockey puck, the Anaheim Ducks organization will teach the science of hockey to 15,000 local elementary school students for its 24th annual First Flight Field Trip at the Honda Center on Monday, Feb. 3.
- ABC7 reported that in an effort to alleviate community concerns about immigration enforcement, the Santa Ana Unified School District released a step-by-step video tutorial to prepare staff in the event that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers visit a school campus.
- If passed, a newly-introduced Senate bill would allow students, parents and school staff to receive an immediate alert if immigration officers are present on school grounds or college campuses, according to the Orange County Register.
- High school students across Southern California campuses are getting the chance to virtually experience the technology and special skills essential to careers with the U.S. Navy through its new Strike Team mobile virtual reality program.
- During a special meeting Friday night, the Santa Ana Unified School District board is expected to review over 500 certificated staff positions and vote on potential employee layoffs due to a $180 million district budget deficit, according to Voice of OC.
- Recent data from the California County Scoreboard of Children’s Well-Being found that Orange County eighth-graders in foster care met or exceeded California’s math standards at a rate that doubles the statewide percentage.
- In the 2024 fiscal year, the California Lottery raised over $2.25 billion for public schools throughout the state. About $45.4 million of that total was contributed to Orange County public education.
- The class of ’67 at Corona del Mar’s Harbor View Elementary reunited to honor their fifth-grade teacher, Marilyn Conrath, for her caring and fun reputation at a belated birthday celebration organized by her former students.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.