After months of rigorous studying and preparation, eight Katy ISD Academic Decathlon teams are headed to the Texas Academic Decathlon Event on February 24-27. This year, the competition will take place in two cities. Taylor, Cinco Ranch, Seven Lakes, Katy, Morton Ranch and Paetow high schools will each send a team of nine students to San Antonio, Texas, while Tompkins and Jordan high schools will compete in Frisco, Texas. A total of 80 high schools will be competing during the events in hopes of obtaining gold, silver and/or bronze recognitions, as well as honorable mentions in distinct categories.
“The curriculum, provided by the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) changes every year and includes roughly 1,000 pages of high-level curriculum covering Math, Music, Economics, Science, Literature, Art and Social Studies,” said Dr. Joan Otten, director of Katy ISD Gifted & Talented and Advanced Academics. “To be part of a decathlon team speaks volumes of a student’s dedication in overcoming challenges of high-level academic tasks,” added Otten.
As part of the competition, students will also prepare and deliver a memorized speech, give an impromptu presentation, participate in a sit-down interview with three judges and write a 50-minute paper.
The Texas Academic Decathlon Event is the second-largest academic program in the nation, where students have the opportunity to be one of the beneficiaries of $200,000 in scholarships. Based on a point system, the highest-scoring team then advances to represent Texas at the United States Academic Decathlon competition which will be held virtually.
Click Texas Academic Decathlon for additional information.
