While most kids head home at the end of the school day, nine Palisades Charter High School students often stayed until 9 p.m. this fall, studying subjects such as math, economics and literature. Last week, they were rewarded for their hard work when they won the Los Angeles Unified School District’s annual Academic Decathlon. The contest took place on January 26 and February 2 at Bravo Magnet High School and UCLA. The PaliHi team competed against more than 550 students representing 64 schools, winning for the first time since 1990. ‘I had never won anything before,’ senior Weylin Wagnon told the Palisadian-Post. ‘It felt good’ I worked really hard, and I didn’t know it would pay off as well as it did.’ The students were honored for their achievement during a dinner at the L.A. Convention Center on February 5. They will now compete at the state tournament March 8 to 10 in Sacramento. If they win, they will head to the nationals in Garden Grove. ‘They are so disciplined and dedicated,’ said Chris Lee, a social studies teacher who coached the team with math teacher Minh Ha Ngo. ‘They are supportive of each other and goal-oriented. I’m so proud of them.’ The team includes Wagnon, Kevin Gould, Sun Jong Ji, Thomas Krane, Jamie Lopez, Marvin Lopez, Preston Mendell, Hannah Moulthrop and Karl Niu. The students competed in 10 events. They took written exams in math, economics, science, literature, art and music. They also participated in the Super Quiz and Super Quiz Relay, a written and oral exam that tests students on a different academic topic every year. This year’s subject was the Civil War. In addition, each competitor wrote an essay and gave a speech. The judges interviewed them about their goals, accomplishments and extracurricular activities. The students were divided into groups of three to compete in three divisions based on their grade point average: Honors (3.75 to 4.0), Scholastic (3.0 to 3.74) and Varsity. The top two students in each division had their scores count toward the overall team score, which for Pali was 50,122 points out of a possible 60,000. Although there were separate divisions, the students were judged by the same standards. ‘I like that everyone is on a level playing field,’ said Wagnon, who competed for the first time. ‘The subjects are different every year, so how hard we work at it determines how well we do.’ Gould and Wagnon had the second-highest scores of all competitors in the Honors and Varsity divisions, respectively. Niu and Mendell were the third-highest scorers of all students in Honors and Varsity, respectively. Krane and Wagnon earned perfect scores in the Super Quiz Relay. Senior Jamie Lopez received a $100 award as one of L.A. city’s most inspirational participants. Her coaches nominated her based on input from the team. ‘Jamie worked extremely hard and pushed herself,’ Lee said. ‘Her efforts really inspired the others.’ The students were chosen for the team based on teacher recommendations and test scores. About 50 students tried out last May; 12 students were chosen to prepare for the contest and from that group, nine were selected to compete. The team began preparing in July, meeting two days a week. In the fall, the students started studying at 12:30 p.m. and stayed on campus until 7 to 9 p.m. They received an elective credit for their participation. A number of parents and teachers helped. English teacher Rose Gilbert, who is 89 and still in the classroom, coached the students in speech, and six of them received gold medals. Trisha Murray, a doctor and Kevin Gould’s mom, taught the team about infectious diseases ‘ a topic that would be on the science test. The students also scrimmaged against other high schools. Some of the team members say the competition exposed them to career possibilities. Wagnon, 17, enjoyed learning about infectious diseases and is now interested in a career in medicine. He plans to attend a UC school. Gould, also 17, discovered a passion for economics and is considering studying the subject at Columbia University in New York this fall. Senior Jamie Lopez, 17, never imagined that she would develop such close bonds with her teammates. They spent so much time together ‘we are like a family,’ she said. Gould agreed. ‘I love the camaraderie of the team. We study and work hard, but we also tell jokes and have a great time.’
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