2 Schools Become First Aldine ISD Teams to Compete at Pentathlon Nationals

Disponible en:

The Pentathlon teams at García Middle School and Houston Academy recently made history for the Aldine Independent School District. Both teams will compete this year at the U.S. Academic Pentathlon National Meet set for May 16-18, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Pentathlon students compete in five subjects — essay, fine arts, literature, mathematics, science, social science, and Super Quiz. Everything revolves around the theme.

The team gets a theme at the beginning of the year; it’s each team’s Pentathlon coach’s job to prepare them for competition. This year’s theme is “Technology and Humanity.” After nine months of learning, the team is tested on their knowledge.

While some students know a lot about many subjects, learning five topics at once was more challenging for others.

Susan Pelezo, AISD executive director of advanced academics, said it could be challenging because some topics they test the competitors on are complex. Few sixth graders would be willing to put themselves out there to compete against seventh graders, but the six-graders on the teams have shown grit and tenacity each time they compete. That confidence comes from spending a lot of their time studying.

The months of preparation paid off, and the García Middle School and Houston Academy Pentathlon teams, based on their scores at the Region 2 Texas Academic Pentathlon’s Meet on April 13, qualified for Nationals.

García Middle School

For García Middle School, it is a first on a couple of levels. It was the school’s first time to compete in the Academic Pentathlon, and it made history by qualifying for nationals. Overall, the team placed third in the seventh-grade category. They also brought home the Rookie Team Award.

García Middle School Academic Pentathlon Team

Students: María Barrón, Christopher Blanco, Reuben Duke, Bray Eaden, Matthew Garrett, Melvin Hause, Layla Mendoza, and Sofía Villafaña

Team Coaches/Sponsors: La’Dena King, Nawneet Lamba, and Kristina Smith

Houston Academy

It is also the first time Houston Academy competes at Nationals. Although the Texas Academic Pentathlon is intended for seventh graders and above, sixth graders can participate and compete against seventh graders. The Houston Academy sixth-grade students performed well at the district level and walked away with several medals. At Regionals, the team earned an award in fine arts, which is fantastic considering the campus is a Choice School specializing in the performing arts. After Regionals, district liaisons determined which schools would go on to compete at the National level.

Houston Academy Academic Pentathlon Teams

Honors: Dellivon Frazier, Diyonni Jackson, and Chavis McCray
Scholastic: Lavanya Aubrey, Gabriel Madrid, and Joy Todd
Varsity: Leon Banks, Vanessa Espinoza, and Ashton Johnson

Team Coaches/Sponsors: Alice Hill and Rachel Roeper

Proud of All the Academic Pentathlon Teams

Other Aldine ISD schools that also advanced to compete at the Region 2 Texas Academic Pentathlon Competition included Grantham Academy, Hoffman Middle School, Plummer Middle School, and Lewis Middle School.

Students are thrilled to be a part of making history for Aldine ISD, but no one was prouder than Pelezo.

“At the district and campus level, we couldn’t be prouder,” said Pelezo. “These are the first Aldine ISD teams ever to make it past the state competition, and I think we are all proud. Thank you to the coaches/sponsors for working with our students, and kudos to the students for all their hard work.”