Woodbridge High School may need to invest in a larger trophy case.
On Friday night, the Irvine campus’ academic decathlon team learned that it had clinched a seventh county championship in eight years, adding to the Warriors’ dominance streak.
The announcement came during a lively awards ceremony at Orange Coast College, where medals were presented to the top teams and individual scholars, igniting applause and celebration. After amassing an impressive 44,488.6 points at the two-day Orange County Academic Decathlon, the Woodbridge squad now advances to the state competition, which will be held in Santa Clara from March 21 to March 24.
“The team had to really work together to keep each other motivated and engaged throughout the process, and it was ultimately a great learning experience for the newer members of the team,” said coach Sam Lee, who teaches English at Woodbridge. “We hope that their success will energize them as we turn our attention towards the upcoming state competition.”
Also making the trip to Santa Clara will be University, Valencia and Westminster high schools, which qualified for the California Academic Decathlon based on their top-tier scores.
“The camaraderie, hard work and teamwork exhibited by all participating teams and students is truly commendable,” said OCDE coordinator Kristin Rigby. “We especially want to congratulate Woodbridge High for another exemplary performance.”
Since scoring their first victory in 2006, the Warriors have been a model of excellence and consistency, securing four consecutive championships from 2017 to 2020 before reclaiming the top spot in 2022. Last year’s win further solidified their reign.
Overall team results
The Orange County Academic Decathlon was held over two Saturdays, on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Here’s a look at the highest-performing Orange County teams and their overall scores. (The four schools advancing to the California Academic Decathlon are in bold.)
DIVISION 1
- Woodbridge High, Irvine Unified School District, 44,488.6 (first place)
- University High, Irvine Unified School District, 40,013.2 (second place)
- Valencia High, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, 39,586.6 (third place)
- Westminster High, Huntington Beach Union High School District, 36,628.3 (fourth place)
- Fairmont Prep Academy, a private high school in Anaheim, 34,367.1 (fifth place)
- Trabuco Hills High, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, 29,695.2
- Garden Grove High, Garden Grove Unified School District, 25,559.5
- Troy High, Fullerton Joint Union High School District, 10,312.9
DIVISION 2
- Esperanza High, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, 31,853.7 (first place)
- Segerstrom High, Santa Ana Unified School District, 29,615.8 (second place)
- Beckman High, Tustin Unified School District, 29,605.5 (third place)
- Yorba Linda High, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, 29,280.3 (fourth place)
- Kennedy High, Anaheim Union High School District, 27,557.5 (fifth place)
- San Juan Hills High, Capistrano Unified School District, 25,666.4
- Brea Olinda High, Brea Olinda Unified School District, 24,594.4
- JSerra Catholic High, a private school in San Juan Capistrano, 21,507.3
- El Dorado High, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, 20,798.7
- Pacifica High, Garden Grove Unified School District, 19,759.7
- Northwood High, Irvine Unified School District, 18,654.4
- Sage Hill, a private school in Newport Coast, 8,962.6
DIVISION 3
- Bolsa Grande High, Garden Grove Unified School District, 33,304.9 (first place)
- Villa Park High, Orange Unified School District, 30,075.3 (second place)
- Aliso Niguel High, Capistrano Unified School District, 28,859.6 (third place)
- Santiago High, Garden Grove Unified School District, 27,691.8 (fourth place)
- Legacy Magnet Academy, Tustin Unified School District, 27,627.6 (fifth place)
- Godinez Fundamental High, Santa Ana Unified School District, 26,912.7
- Tesoro High, Capistrano Unified School District, 26,415.1
- Portola High, Irvine Unified School District, 26,342.9
- Marina High, Huntington Beach Union High School District, 26,062.8
- Valley High, Santa Ana Unified School District, 20,261.0
- Servite High, a private school in Anaheim, 17,993.0
- Magnolia High, Anaheim Union High School District, 16,028.6
- Rosary Academy, a private school in Fullerton, 9,008.1
- Whittier Christian High, a private school in La Habra, 4,322.9
Contest has OC roots
The roots of the academic decathlon can be traced back to former Orange County Superintendent Dr. Robert Peterson, who conceptualized a “decathlon of studies” while serving as a prisoner in Germany during the Second World War. The inaugural decathlon took place at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove in 1968.
Today, academic decathlons are held across the country, challenging nine-member teams in 10 separate events, with a mix of multiple-choice exams, speeches, interviews and essays. The contest also requires each team to have three “Honor” students (those with GPAs of 3.80 and above), three “Scholastic” students (GPAs of 3.20 to 3.79) and three “Varsity” students (GPAs of 3.199 and below). And it culminates with the action-packed Super Quiz Relay, which resembles a sporting event.
Lee, the Woodbridge coach, said his team was “ecstatic and shocked” at their first-place overall score after University High School won the Super Quiz.
“We weren’t as confident as in previous years based on our Super Quiz results,” he said, “but it was great to see the reactions when their hard work paid off at the awards ceremony.”
This year’s Orange County Academic Decathlon sponsors were NuVision Federal Credit Union, Centegix, Aeries Software Inc., Townsend Public Affairs and Luna Grill.
Following the state-level showdown, top-performing teams will set their sights on the U.S. Academic Decathlon, scheduled for April 25 to 27 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The continuing theme is “Technology and Humanity.”