LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Over 1,000 students from 104 schools are expected to compete in a junior academic decathlon in Los Angeles, California in the United States on March 5 this year. The 21st annual Los Angeles Archdiocese’s Academic Junior High Decathlon (AJHD) will be held on March 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. The organizers are expecting 4,000 to 5,000 family and friends of the students to attend the event. The AJHD is the largest junior high educational competition in Southern California for students in the 6th to 8th grades. The top 10 best and brightest students of the participating schools compete for the title as Decathletes of the Year. The Academic Junior High Decathlon is a 10-event competition featuring two collaborative team events:
a rigorous Logic Quiz with 20 rigorous thinking problems, and a “Super Quiz" finale with 50 multiple choice questions that encompass five broad academic themes (Religion, Literature, Science, Art, and Geography). The remaining eight events are individual events in the following categories: Roman Catholic doctrine; English; Literature; Math; Science; Social Studies; Fine Arts (Art and Music), and Current Events. Awards are given for individual and team performance. The winning school team will compete with other dioceses’ winner in a state championship on the first Saturday of May. Councilmember Tom Labonge will open the decathlon with community leaders and television personalities who will serve as Super Quiz readers. They include: Dr. Kevin Baxter, Superintendent, Department of Catholic Elementary Schools; Dr. Shane Martin, 2nd Dean, College of Education, Loyola Marymount University; Ms. Lindsey Myers, Emmy Award winner; Walter Samoi, Featherweight boxing champ and civic leader; Tanyella Evans, Director of Artists for Peace, and Marc Cayce, movie producer and writer. The Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Co-Adjutor Jose Gomez. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Music Ministry headed by Art Saranglao will perform the liturgical songs. Josephine Solomonson, an educator and former principal of St. Stephens Martyr School in Monterey Park, California, is the director and chairperson of the AJHD. “The best investment is bringing our students closer to God and helping them maximize their full potential to become excellent future leaders," Solomonson said. “The Decathlon serves as an avenue that promotes collaborative spirit and cooperative learning skills. Its mission is to bring forth those academic talents and celebrate them in the context of spirit-filled competition," she added. Last year’s winner, Notre Dame Academy School (Los Angeles) will defend its title to keep the perpetual trophy. The decathlon promotes academic preeminence and educational values in parochial schools. It also celebrates the diversity, excellence, and the tradition of California’s Catholic schools. The Catholic Schools Academic Decathlon was founded in September, 1989 by Dr. Mark Ryan who was then a junior high teacher at St. Aloysius School in south-central Los Angeles. Ryan had a vision for an academic event as a parallel to the athletic competitions so prevalent in schools. What began as a small competition involving a handful of schools from the greater Los Angeles area has grown to become a statewide event involving Catholic junior high students from across the United States. The Decathlon is now under the guiding jurisdiction of the California Catholic State Superintendents Curriculum Committee. For more information about the event, please contact Mrs. Josephine Solomonson at JSolomonson@Adelphia.net, tel. (626) 627-6672 or visit the website: https://academicdecathlon.wikispaces.com - VVP, GMA News 
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