Want to compete in the Academic Decathlon or Pentathlon? OCDE is looking for middle and high school teams

The Orange County Department of Education is recruiting high school teams for the 2021-22 Orange County Academic Decathlon, and middle school teams are encouraged to sign up for the Academic Pentathlon.

Founded in 1968 by former Orange County Superintendent Dr. Robert Peterson, the Academic Decathlon is a 10-event scholastic contest staged at the county, state and national levels. Decathletes present speeches, participate in interviews, write essays and take multiple-choice tests in art, economics, literature, mathematics, music, science and social science. The competition typically culminates in a popular live event called the Super Quiz Relay.

The Academic Pentathlon is a five-event competition for students in grades six, seven and eight. The areas of concentration are fine arts, literature, math, science and social science, and middle school teams compete in their own Super Quiz Relay.

This year’s contests will be based on the theme “Water: A Most Essential Resource.” The Orange County Academic Decathlon spans two days in January and February, while county-level Pentathlon contests are held from March through May.

A virtual coaches meeting for the Academic Decathlon will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 28, and a meeting for Pentathlon coaches will follow on Sept. 30. For more information, or if your middle or high school is interested in starting a program, contact OCDE Coordinator Kristin Rigby at 714-966-4435 or krigby@ocde.us.

And here’s a little more about each event:

Academic Decathlon (grades nine through 12)

Academic Pentathlon (grades six, seven and eight)