MacArthur High School’s Academic Decathlon Team Dominates District Competition
Students from different academic backgrounds flex their mental muscle in 10 events.
The MacArthur HS Decathletes show off their district medals. Posing for the camera are Mónica Luna, Juan Herrera, Gerardo Arredondo, Mark Borjas, Rachel Ortega, Deise Ferrera, Cecilia Gutiérrez, Lizbeth Rangel, Andrés Reyna, Isidro Jasso and Carlos Canizales. Members also include (not pictured) Taylor Garrett, Gabrielle Chambers, Cristal Romero, Jesús Llanas and Carlos Hernández.
[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]T[/dropcap]he Academic Decathlon team from MacArthur High School once again demonstrated its “brainy” prowess. At the District Decathlon Competition, the campus placed first in team overall scores.
MacArthur High School received a total of 22 first place medals. The Generals also brought home 14 second place honors and 17 third place wins. The campus’ Isidro Jasso, Juan Herrera and Andrés Reyna earned the highest scores in their divisions. Andrés was also the highest scoring student of the entire competition. He obtained a total of 7,870.7 points.
The [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]U.S. Academic Decathlon® is a 10-event scholastic competition where high school students match their intellects with students from other schools. They each compete in art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science, and speech.
MacArthur HS —Isidro Jasso stands with his coaches James Fons and Melissa Solano. Isidro advanced to nationals in the 2014-15 competition.
The Oral Super Quiz is probably one of the most memorable and exciting parts of the competition. The quiz topics are from six different subject areas. The oral relay is the only part of the actual testing that is open to the public.
Teams of nine high school students battle in the 10 different events. The events are based on college-level, academically rigorous curriculum linked by a common theme. The USAD designed the competition to challenge students. Students who take part develop, connect and communicate ideas under pressure.
The Academic Decathlon® challenges students from different academic backgrounds. A typical team has three “A” students, three “B” students and three “C” students.
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded for individual events and total scores. Region and state contests are held for schools categorized as large, medium and small. Based on a point system, the highest scoring team represents Texas at the national USAD competition. This year, the national competition will take place in Anchorage, AK.
Decathletes are busy across the district. All six high school teams are studying and practicing in preparation for regional competition Jan. 29-30 in Bryan, TX. The top scoring students in each division, based on district performance, made the regional team. The top three teams at regionals will advance to the [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]state competition in February.
Every year, the USAD® selects a curricular topic. The 2015-16 theme is “India.” The following is some general information on the topics in each of the subject areas:
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Science: The science topic will be an introduction to ecology. It will also include case studies and examples relevant to India.[/li] [li]Literature: The literature curriculum will include critical reading. Students must read one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The long work of literature will be the novel Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya.[/li][/ul]
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Art: The art curriculum will include a section on art fundamentals. It will largely focus on the art and architecture of India.[/li] [li]Music: The music curriculum will include basic elements of music theory. It will focus on the music of India.[/li][/ul]
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Social Science: The social science curriculum will cover the history of modern India.[/li] [li]Economics: The economics curriculum will cover fundamental economic concepts, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. It will also include a thematic section on the Indian economy.[/li][/ul]
[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Mathematics: The mathematics curriculum will cover permutations and combinations, algebra, and statistics.[/li][/ul]
Decathlon coaches Melissa Solano (second from left) and James Fons (second from right) pose with MacArthur Decathletes (l-r) Mónica Luna, Lizbeth Rangel, Efraín Vidal, Karina Ayala and Joel Márquez. The students placed in the 2014-15 online individual competition.
MacArthur had several students returning this year that did well in 2014-15. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Isidro Jasso advanced to nationals last year. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Mónica Luna and Lizbeth Rangel placed in several events during the online individual competition. They received medals for their scores.
Several students got perfect scores in their events. Jennifer Anchia from Eisenhower High School and Ashley Treviso from Carver High School scored a perfect 1,000 points in the Interview Event. Also getting a perfect score is Stacy Ly from Davis High School in the Speech Event.
The 2015 district competition was close. There were several ties.
District Rankings & Top Scores
Overall Team Scores
1st Place — MacArthur HS
Coaches: James Fons & Melissa Solano
2nd Place — Davis HS
Coach: Shannon Decena
3rd Place — Carver HS
Coach: Carolyn Carrier
4th Place — Eisenhower HS
Coach: Heather Lyon-Southard
5th Place — Nimitz HS
Coach: Ashley Yancy
6th Place — Aldine HS
Coach: John Gray
Ranking of Top Students Competing
1st Place — Andres Reyna, Honors Division @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Juan Herrera, Scholastic Division @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Mónica Luna, Scholastic Division @ MacArthur HS
Honors Division
1st Place — Andres Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Stacy Ly @ Davis HS
Scholastic Division
1st Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Rachel Ortega @ MacArthur HS
Varsity Division
1st Place — Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Alexander Govea @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Sergio González @ Davis HS
Language Arts Honors Division
1st Place — Andres Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Cecilia Gutiérrez @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
Language Arts Scholastic Division
1st Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place (tie) — Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS & Anthony Glenn @ Carver HS
3rd Place — Rachel Ortega @ MacArthur HS
Language Arts Varsity Division
1st Place — Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Alexander Govea @ Davis HS
3rd Place (tie) — Andrew González @ Carver HS, Kennia Molina @ Davis HS; Candy Brito & Jasmin Chancey @ Eisenhower HS
Music Honors Division
1st Place — Andrés Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Rohit Fnu @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
Music Scholastic Division
1st Place (tie) — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS & Andrea Torres @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Leslie Campos @ Aldine HS
3rd Place (tie) — Anthony Glenn @ Carver HS, Victoria Favela @ Davis HS; Gerardo Arredondo, Mark Borjas & Taylor Garrett @ MacArthur HS
Music Varsity Division
1st Place (tie) — Jasmine Ramírez @ Carver HS & Christian Flores @ Davis HS
2nd Place (tie) — Sergio González @ Davis HS & Kiana Bowens @ Nimitz HS
3rd Place (tie) — Andrew González & Kaitlyn Espinoza @ Carver HS, Alexander Govea & Mandy Molina @ Davis HS
Science Honors Division
1st Place — Andres Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place (tie) — Stacy Ly @ Davis HS & Cecilia Gutiérrez @ MacArthur HS
Science Scholastic Division
1st Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Anthony Glenn @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS
Science Varsity Division
1st Place — José Reyes @ Eisenhower HS
2nd Place — Candy Brito @ Eisenhower HS
3rd Place (tie) — Andrew González @ Carver HS, Alexander Govea @ Davis HS & Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
Art Honors Division
1st Place — Andres Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Stacy Ly @ Davis HS
3rd Place (tie) — Rohit Fnu @ Davis HS & Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
Art Scholastic Division
1st Place — Rachel Ortega @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place (tie) — Mónica Luna & Lizbeth Rangel @ MacArthur HS
Art Varsity Division
1st Place — Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Candy Brito @ Eisenhower HS
3rd Place — Kennia Molina @ Davis HS
Mathematics Honors Division
1st Place — Andrés Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Stacy Ly @ Davis HS
Mathematics Scholastic Division
1st Place (tie) — Juan Herrera & Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place (tie) — Anthony Glenn @ Carver HS & Andrés Rendón @ Nimitz HS
3rd Place — Ihsan Shafi @ Carver HS
Mathematics Varsity Division
1st Place — Jasmin Chancey @ Eisenhower HS
2nd Place — Jasmine Ramírez @ Carver HS & Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Kaitlyn Espinoza @ Carver HS
Economics Honors Division
1st Place — Andres Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Wilfredo Castillo @ Aldine HS
3rd Place (tie) — Francisco Sánchez @ Aldine HS & Stacy Ly @ Davis HS
Economics Scholastic Division
1st Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Leslie Campos @ Aldine HS
Economics Varsity Division
1st Place — Alexander Govea @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Christian Flores @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Sergio González @ Davis HS
Essay Honors Division
1st Place — Ana Colindres @ Carver HS
2nd Place — Tammy Pham @ Aldine HS
3rd Place — Wilfredo Castillo @ Aldine HS
Essay Scholastic Division
1st Place — Alondra Cerda @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Carlos Hernández @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Bilal Marquis @ Carver HS
Essay Scholastic Division
1st Place — Celso Villegas @ Nimitz HS
2nd Place — Mandy Molina @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Sergio González @ Davis HS
Speech Honors Division
1st Place — Stacy Ly @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Cecilia Gutiérrez @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Rodolfo Andrade @ Aldine HS
Speech Scholastic Division
1st Place — Rachel Ortega @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Bilal Marquis @ Carver HS
3rd Place — Katia Aguilar @ Davis HS
Speech Varsity Division
1st Place (tie) — Jesús Llanas @MacArthur HS & Christian Flores @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Sergio González @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Kiana Bowens @ Nimitz HS
Interview Honors Division
1st Place (tie) — Jennifer Anchia @ Eisenhower HS & Ashley Trevizo @ Carver HS
2nd Place — Andrés Reyna @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place (tie) — Carlos Canizales @ MacArthur HS & Rohit Fnu @ Davis HS
Interview Scholastic Division
1st Place (tie) — Rachel Ortega @ MacArthur HS, Andrea Torres @ Davis HS; Ihsan Shafi & Bilal Marquis @ Carver HS
2nd Place — Mónica Luna @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
Interview Varsity Division
1st Place — Alexander Govea @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Jasmine Ramírez @ Carver HS
3rd Place — Isidro Jasso @ MacArthur HS
Social Sciences Honors Division
1st Place — Andrés Reyna @ MacArthur HS
2nd Place — Rohit Fnu @ Davis HS
3rd Place — Cecilia Gutiérrez @ MacArthur HS
Social Science Scholastic Division
1st Place — Anthony Glenn @ Carver HS
2nd Place — Juan Herrera @ MacArthur HS
3rd Place — Andrea Torres @ Davis HS
Social Sciences Varsity Division
1st Place — Alexander Govea @ Davis HS
2nd Place — Kiana Bowens @ Nimitz HS
3rd Place — Jasmine Ramírez @ Carver HS
Congratulations to all the students! Good luck at regionals!
About the Author: Leticia Fehling
