Oakdale High wins Super Quiz at state Academic Decathlon

Oakdale High took first place in the Super Quiz in its division at the statewide Academic Decathlon in Sacramento over the weekend. .

“They are definitely a source of school and community pride and we are thankful that they continue to represent Oakdale High School in such a positive manner,” said Oakdale High Principal Mike Moore on Monday.

“The entire community of Oakdale is very proud of our team members and coach Linda Dodge,” said Oakdale Unified Superintendent Marc Malone. “To come in first in the Super Quiz is a great accomplishment and shows that our students can perform at a high level under competitive pressure.

“The overall competition provides our students with an important life experience that we hope they will apply for success in future life endeavors,” Malone said.

The Oakdale team placed 23rd in the overall California rankings. It has won the Stanislaus County competition 15 years running.

Michael Winders earned the most points for the Oakdale team. Taryn Lane placed in the top three in her categories: economics, art, music and social science.

Granada Hills Charter High School in Los Angeles County won the state title with a score of 59,040.3 out of a possible 66,000 points and will take the short trip to Garden Grove to compete in the national contest April 16-18. California has won the last nine national titles and has placed first or second in 29 out of the 30 years of the contest, according to a California Academic Decathlon statement.

Some 574 students from 66 high school teams across the state competed in this year’s state contest.

One team from each county advanced to the state competition. Others in the area competing were Merced High from Merced County; Manteca High from San Joaquin County; Mountain Oaks Charter High from Calaveras County; and Summerville High from Tuolumne County.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Oakdale High wins Super Quiz at state Academic Decathlon."