District High School Students Earn Top Honors at the Annual Texas Academic Decathlon

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Several Aldine Independent School District high school students, demonstrating their “brainy” prowess, received top honors at the annual Texas Academic Decathlon held virtually February 26-28.

Teams of nine high school students battle in the 10 different events. The events are based on a college-level, academically rigorous curriculum-linked to 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® is unique. A typical team has nine members: three “A” students, three “B” students, and three “C” students. They must work together as a team to achieve a specific goal.

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.

Every year, the USAD® selects a curricular topic. The 2020-21 theme is the Cold War. The following is general information on the topics in each of the subject areas:

• Science: The science topic will be an introduction to astronomy and will include sections on the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• Literature: The literature curriculum will include critical reading, one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The long work of literature will be Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
• Art: The art curriculum will include a section on art fundamentals and focus on exploring art during the Cold War.
• Music: The music curriculum will introduce students to various musical works from the Cold War era.
• Social Science: The social science curriculum will introduce students to the history of the Cold War.
• Economics: The economics curriculum will cover fundamental economic concepts, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. It will also include a thematic section on the economics of the Cold War.
• Mathematics: The mathematics curriculum will cover general mathematics, geometry, and an introduction to differential calculus.

Students Earning Top State Honors

The following Aldine ISD students won distinctions at the state competition:

1st Place in Essay

Anna de la Cuesta, Victory Early College High School

2nd Place in Economics

Eli Bautista-Cortez, Victory Early College High School

2nd Place in Mathematics

Leilani Díaz, Blanson Career & Technical High School

3rd Place in Economics

Sharai Ford, Carver High School for Engineering, Applied Technology, and the Arts
Asiria Martínez, MacArthur High School

3rd Place in Literature

Roxanna Méndez, MacArthur High School

3rd Place in Mathematics

José Hernández, MacArthur High School

3rd Place in Science

Eliab Castelán Ramos, Carver High School

“We are very proud of our students. Their perseverance throughout the pandemic has been inspiring,” said Susan Pelezo, executive director of advanced academics.

Jessica Luis and Benjamin Toner serve as sponsors at Blanson CTEHS. Carolyn Carrier-Williams and Robert Blain sponsor the team from Carver HS, Park Van and Syeda Zuma lead MacArthur HS. And Jarrod Fredericks and Jesús Torres head the team Victory ECHS team.