Fourteen teams and 140 students competed in the 2018 Idaho Academic Decathlon State Meet at Idaho State University on March 16 and 17. Sandpoint High School won first place in the large school category and will represent Idaho in the United States Academic Decathlon National Final in Frisco, Texas, on April 19-20, along with Sugar-Salem High School, the first place team in the medium school category.

The SHS team, comprised of 12 students, performed well, also placing first in Super Quiz and bringing home a total of 68 medals: 32 gold, 20 silver, and 16 bronze. Shane Curtis, a junior and second-year decathlete, was awarded the Phillip Ourada Memorial Award for Meritorious Achievement in the Speech and Interview events. This is the fourth year in a row that a Sandpoint student has won this award. Senior Sam Jackson, fourth-year decathlete and team co-captain, was also honored for his public-speaking skills and was featured in the Speech Showcase at the awards banquet on Saturday.

“I am so proud of the team,” said team coach Dana Stockman. “They have worked hard all year and are so deserving of the awards that they brought home from Pocatello. Every member of the team improved their score from the regional meet in January, and every student medaled in at least one event.”

The Academic Decathlon competition consists of 10 individual events in art, economics, essay, interview, literature, math, music, science, social science and speech. Additionally, teams compete in a relay — the Super Quiz — spanning all topics covered in the individual events.

The national team is comprised of team captains Sam Jackson and Corinne Capodagli and their teammates Adele Marchiando, Allison Kinard, Shane Curtis, Emma Reed, Hyrum Hunsaker, and Liam Loper. They are now busy raising money to pay for their trip to Texas. They anticipate that they will need to raise an additional $5,000 to cover their airfare, hotel, ground transportation, meals, and incidental expenses. Anyone interested in making a donation may contact Dana Stockman at Sandpoint High School.

A list of winning schools in each of the categories can be found on the organization’s website at acadecaidaho.org/2017-state-results.

The Idaho Academic Decathlon is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop and provide academic competitions, curriculum, and assessment to promote learning and academic excellence through teamwork among students of all achievement levels.