Harmony Magnet places 58th at state Academic Decathlon

Tulare County’s 2013 Academic Decathlon team from Harmony Magnet Academy, Strathmore, has returned from the state competition in Sacramento with a few honors.

With a team score of 28,091.6 points and Super Quiz score of 2,175, Harmony placed 58th overall with its 30,266.6 score in Division 3.

Harmony’s top-scoring student was Kisha Thayapran, who clinched 5,764 points for Harmony. Matt Jones was named a Top 3 High Score Individual, Interview, Scholastic division.

The school’s team advanced to the California Academic Decathlon after earning the highest combined score during Tulare County’s Academic Decathlon 2013 when the team finished with 63 medals, the small-school title and the highest scores in two individual events.

Academic Decathlon teams are tested on economics, social science, mathematics, music, art, language and literature, and science. In addition, the contestants present prepared and impromptu speeches, write essays on given topics and undergo interviews by a panel of judges.

Earning the state title this year was Los Angeles Unified’s Granada Hills Charter High School, with a team score of 56,165.5 points out of 65,400 possible points. El Camino Real Charter High School placed second with 55,559.5 points. Both nine-member teams will represent California and pursue the state’s tenth consecutive national title at the 32nd Annual United States Academic Decathlon Championship, scheduled April 25 to 27, in Minneapolis, Minn.