Merced County decathletes will compete on World War II knowledge

World War II will be the theme of Merced County’s 36th Academic Decathlon set for next week.

The competition pitting 11 high school teams against one another will take place at Merced College on Feb. 4.

Teams will compete in the subjects of art, economics, language and literature, math, music, social science and science. There also will be communication tests, which include essay writing, prepared and impromptu speeches and oral interviews.

Teams compete for awards, scholarships and a chance to represent the county in March at the State Academic Decathlon in Sacramento.

Each team participating is awarded $1,000 in scholarship money, donated by various sponsors, including: Community Foundation of Merced County; Merced College; Educational Employees Credit Union; Mani Nallasivan, M.D., of Merced Vein & Vascular Center; Merced County Office of Education; and Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union.

The public is invited to attend the Super Quiz portion of the Decathlon at 3:15 p.m. at the El Capitan High School gym, 100 Farmland Ave. just north of Merced, and the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. in the Merced College Theater, 3600 M St. in Merced.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Merced County decathletes will compete on World War II knowledge."