MacArthur High School’s Logan Haagenson-Jiménez Excels at National Academic Decathlon

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Logan Haagenson-Jiménez (left) poses with Park Van, the Academic Decathlon coach at MacArthur High School.

MacArthur High School junior Logan Haagenson-Jiménez has again demonstrated exceptional academic talent, this time on the national stage. Logan was one of nine students from Texas selected to compete in the Individual Division at the National Academic Decathlon, a prestigious academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in various subjects, held this past week in Des Moines, Iowa.

Competing among 92 participants from across the country, Logan earned top national honors, including first place in essay, second place in interview, and second place in speech events.

“Logan is extremely disciplined and self-motivated,” said Park Van, head coach of the MacArthur Academic Decathlon team. “He puts in long hours without being asked, takes feedback seriously, and performs well under pressure. This year, he’s grown more confident and expressive, especially in the essay, speech, and interview events. He’s also become a leader who encourages others while pushing himself to improve.”

Logan said his preparation began nearly a year ago.

“I have been reading Academic Decathlon materials since late July 2024,” he said. “Late nights were crammed during the first semester to maintain a high grade in the class, and weeks were spent preparing for the state. For nationals, I spent hours refining my speech, perfecting tonality and punctuation, and preparing for the essay and interview by memorizing materials and really understanding the content.”

Logan said one of the most rewarding parts of competing at nationals was meeting “so many individuals who strive for excellence, representing a school culture of effort.”

“Being from MacArthur High School, a school from a low-income area, it felt good to represent my school community at nationals,” he added. “Seeing little Hispanic representation was also an insightful factor. The top schools prioritize Academic Decathlon as a main class; it made me wonder of the potential MacArthur students have.”

Logan Haagenson-Jiménez shows his pride in representing Texas at the 2025 Individual Division at the National Academic Decathlon. Logan was one of nine students from Texas selected to compete.

The journey to nationals followed MacArthur’s historic showing at the Texas Academic Decathlon State Competition in late February, where the school advanced to state for the first time in a decade. At state, Logan earned third place for the highest overall individual score, securing a $1,500 scholarship, and placed third in literature and social science events.

Under the dedicated guidance of Van and assistant coach Stephanie Debettignies, the MacArthur team delivered several top-five finishes across multiple categories at the state competition. Other state awardees included Brandon Guzmán, Katie Sánchez, Adán Mendoza, Andrés Juárez, Alan Álvarez, and Kealsy Rincón. These students also performed exceptionally well in their respective events, contributing to the team’s success.

Van said Logan’s success has already made a lasting impact on campus.

“It showed our students what’s possible,” Van said. “Seeing Logan succeed at nationals has motivated the team to aim higher and has sparked new interest in Academic Decathlon across campus.”

Van said the team is determined to build on this momentum. They plan to recruit new talent, strengthen their foundation, and aim for a stronger run at state and nationals next year.

For younger students considering Academic Decathlon, Logan offered advice:

“Prioritize time management and study over and over until you’ve memorized everything,” Logan said. “Academic Decathlon is half skill and half memorization. With more priority to Academic Decathlon, MacArthur students can excel.”

For more on the team’s journey this school year, click here.