San Antonio College and Omni Hotel will host the National Finals of the United States Academic Decathlon April 26-29, with 350 students from 39 high schools around the nation competing.  More than $30,000 in scholarships will be awarded to students, who range from 9th to 12th grades and will compete with others (as teams and individuals) on the same GPA level.  The Academic Decathlon emphasizes the personal and academic growth of each student who, by meeting the challenges with honesty and integrity, can reap the rewards of greater self-knowledge and self-confidence for the future.
   
Each student competes in 10 events, which include Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Math, Music, Science, Social Science and Speech.  Each year the Science or Social Science topic is used as the Super Quiz topic, which this year will be the European Renaissance. 

The competition format of the Super Quiz differs from that of the other subject areas.  While students take one written test in each of the other six subjects, they will take two tests in the Super Quiz subject:  one written and the other oral.  The oral relay portion of the Super Quiz is the only part of the actual testing that is open to the public, and it is inevitably one of the most memorable and exciting parts of the Academic Decathlon competition.

The ten-event academic program strives to foster a greater respect for knowledge, to promote wholesome inter-school academic competition, and to further develop student communication skills.  A unique aspect of the Academic Decathlon is that it is designed to include students from all academic abilities and achievement levels.  Each nine-member team consists of three "A" (Honor division), three "B" (Scholastic division), and three "C or below" (Varsity division) students.  Each team member competes in all 10 events against other students in their individual divisions.  However, team scores are calculated using the top two individual scores from each division to arrive at an overall team score.

Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded for individual events and total scores.  Overall individual winners are recognized, as are champion teams.  The broad base of awards allows for major recognition of academic accomplishment.  To be eligible for participation this week, teams have had to advance through local, regional, and state levels of competition.

On the morning of April 27, students will compete in essay writing, math, science, language and literature at the Omni Hotel.  That afternoon, they will compete in speech and interview at San Antonio College.  On April 28, students will compete in art, economics, and music at the Omni, and the Super Quiz will be conducted at Laurie Auditorium at Trinity University.  The Awards Banquet will be held April 29 at 7 p.m. in the San Antonio Convention Center. 

Please contact Gus Picardo, USAD Public Relations Director, at 814-397-6024 to schedule interviews or to request any additional information, or contact John Hammond at 733-2147 for a detailed schedule.