Lemoore Middle College High takes on the best in Texas and wins national title

But Lemoore’s Academic Decathlon (AD) team had to go all the way to a place called Frisco, Texas to win the Division IV National Championship. The local school – based on the West Hills Community College, Lemoore campus – finished ahead of second place Wisconsin’s Watertown High School and third place finisher Ashland High School, from Massachusetts.

The 2018 Nationals were held April 19-21 in Frisco, Texas, an upscale community in Collen and Denton Counties and is considered the fastest growing city in the United States. It’s a suburb of Dallas.

Coach Janet Bengtson, LMCHS Principal Charles Gent, and Coach Allen Tong proudly display the team's first place award at the United States Academic Decathlon held in Frisco, Texas.

Photo Courtesy John Bengtson

This year’s Academic Decathlon curriculum them was Africa, and as in all competitions, students had to be prepared to answer questions, take tests in a variety of fields, from science to mathematics. The overall purpose of the Academic Decathlon is to promote learning and academic excellence, and core values. It also encourages the academic growth of students, provides challenging materials, creates high standards of honesty and integrity, and among many other benefits promotes respect for diverse points of view.

While Lemoore’s team captured the Division IV title, the overall national champs came from California’s El Camino Real Charter High School. Ohio’s Oakwood High won the Division II championship while Beijing National Day School took top honors in Division III.

El Camino Real was the 2018 California champ. Lemoore finished 30th in the Division I California AD competition but earned a spot in the Nationals. 

Lemoore Middle College High School (LMCHS) was one of 17 Division IV (1,300 students or less) schools at the competition. The local school has a total student population of 243, making their success all the more impressive, said the school's principal Chuck Gent, who was in Frisco, Texas for the event. 

All together, a total of 77 schools competed in Divisions I-IV, including international teams from China and the United Kingdom. Lemoore's team ranked 13th overall out of the 77 schools.

Coaches Allen Tong and Janet Bengtson led a team of nine students through three days of intense tests, interviews, and speeches against the best the United States has to offer. Lemoore's team won 17 individual medals during the competition. Honor students included Christopher Acevedo, who won a gold medal in social studies. Randen Banuelos won a team gold medal and then bronze in the essay competition. He also won a silver medal in the interview portion.

Nathalia De Souza earned a team gold, a bronze in essay and a bronze in art and a silver in the interview. The school's Scholastic team saw Benjamin Guerrero, Ian Parra, and Josephine Andrade win medals while at the Varsity level Jasmine Oliveira, Nikolas Valentino, and William Young won medals.