Merced County Academic Decathlon slated for February

The annual Merced County Academic Decathlon is about a week away, when a dozen high school teams will compete for the title at Merced College.

The public is invited for a portion of the all-day competition, which this year is themed “New Alternatives in Energy: Ingenuity and Innovation.”

The public portion – the Super Quiz – is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Saturday at Merced College, 3600 M St. The awards ceremony is set at the same location at 7 p.m.

In its 34th year in Merced County, the Academic Decathlon pits area high schools against each other in a contest of academics. Students face off in the areas of art, economics, language and literature, mathematics, social science, music and science.

According to a news release, there are also communications tests, which include essay writing, interview questions, and the delivering of a prepared speech and an impromptu speech.

The high schools competing this year are Atwater, Buhach Colony, Delhi, Dos Palos, Golden Valley, Gustine, Le Grand, Los Banos and Merced, as well as the Valley Community Schools from Atwater, Los Banos and Merced.

Teams compete for awards, scholarships and a chance to move on to the state Academic Decathlon in Sacramento.

Sponsorship partners for the Academic Decathlon are the Hattie Givens Testamentary Trust, Merced College, Educational Employees Credit Union, Dr. Mani Nallasivan of the Merced Vein & Vascular Center, and the Merced County Office of Education.

The Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union donated $6,000 to sponsor the Robert Wayne Scholarship Program, named for the credit union founder who died in 2009, according to the release.

Participating schools pay a $750 fee, according to the release. Of that, $500 is matched by the Robert Wayne Scholarship Program. That brings the scholarships to $1,000 for each school.

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Merced County Academic Decathlon slated for February."