Students from both Folsom High School and Vista del Lago High School were honored Wednesday for their success in the 2023 Sacramento County Academic Decathlon sponsored by Safe Credit Union.
Folsom High School took first place overall in the event, Vista del Lago came home in third place with Bella Vista High School sitting between the two Folsom schools in second.
Eleven teams from Sacramento County competed in this year’s event, according to a press release from the Sacramento County Office of Educaton. Three teams from Placer County also participated and were scored separately outside of the Sacramento County roster.
This marked the second straight year tha Folsom High School team won the event and was joined by Vista del Lago on the podium. Folsom High School was presented with the perpetual trophy and a champion pennant to display at their school Wednesday evening.
In addition to Vista del Lago’s third place finish, Vista student Meadow Castanada won the Academic Decathlon art competition. Castanada was presented with a framed edition of the 2023 event poster in which she contributed to. To prepare for the academic competition, students devoted months of study to this year’s theme: “The American Revolution and the New Nation.”
The local team of students will travel to Santa Clara next month where they will compete in California Academic Decathlon.
During this week’s awards ceremony, held at the Citrus Heights Community Center, SAFE Credit Union CEO Faye Nabhani and Board Chairman Terry Tremelling awarded college scholarships to the top-scoring students.
A long-standing Academic Decathlon sponsor, SAFE Credit Union generously donated $10,000 in scholarships for top-scoring students, plus $5,000 to support the County Decathlon program. Media relations expert Kevin Riggs, a respected former KCRA journalist and political analyst, was the emcee for the evening.
The score earned by Bella Vista High School (San Juan USD) will also allow them to compete in the state competition, according the SCOE. The winning California team in next month’s competition will advance to the U.S. Academic Decathlon in Frisco, Texas in April.
Top five results 2023 Sacramento County Academic Decathlon:
1st Place: Folsom High School (Folsom Cordova USD)
2nd Place: Bella Vista High School (San Juan USD)
3rd Place: Vista del Lago High School (Folsom Cordova USD)
4th Place: Christian Brothers High School (Diocese of Sacramento)
5th Place: Pleasant Grove High School (Elk Grove USD)
Caption
The winning Folsom High School team receives the perpetual trophy and a champion pennant to display at their school.
