Students flex academic muscles at decathlon

Think back to your days studying art history. Keep going—back a little farther. Now, see if you can recall an important event of the Northern Renaissance? Here are your choices:

1. Conquest of Constantinople by the Turks
2. Emergence of the Medici family as art patrons
3. Rebuilding of Saint Peter’s Basilica
4. Publication of Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists
5. Challenge to the Catholic Church by Martin Luther

That was just one of the questions asked of Dallas ISD students the weekend of Nov. 15 as they competed in the Academic Decathlon.

Students from 19 Dallas ISD high schools met for a day of friendly academic competition, pitting brain against brain, in individual and team challenges, all in an effort to test what the students are learning in the classroom.

During the morning challenges, students were tested in several categories including math, music, economics, science, language and literature, art and social studies.

Students also participated in the Super Quiz, an exhibition event during which students from each school worked in teams to compete against other school teams to answer questions from the United States Academic Decathlon Study Guide.

An awards ceremony topped off the day as students found out which teams would advance to the regional competition January 30-31. Winners of the regional meet will represent the Dallas region at state.

High schools advancing are:

Small school category

• James Madison High School
• Wilmer-Hutchins High School
• L.G. Pinkston High School

Medium school category

• Grady Spruce High School
• Seagoville High School
• Moises E. Molina High School
• Bryan Adams High School
• Emmett J. Conrad High School

Large school category

• School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center
• School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center
• W.T. White High School
• School of Health Professions at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center
• Sunset High School
• Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School
• Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School

Super Quiz winners are:

• School for the Talented and Gifted (first place)
• Science and Engineering (second place)
• Spruce and Sunset (tied for third)

In case you’re still mulling over the question about the Northern Renaissance, the answer is E. The students had 10 seconds to come up with the answer.