Orange County Department of Education Contact: Aracely Chastain 714-966-4377 [email protected] NEWS RELEASE

Embargoed until 9:30pm, Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Orange County Students Awarded for Performance at Academic Competition – 46th Annual Academic Decathlon Awards Ceremony tonight

COSTA MESA, , FEBRUARY 12, 2014 – The Orange County Academic Decathlon Association and the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) are proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Orange County Academic Decathlon (OCAD) competition. The OCAD Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at the Robert B. Moore Theater at Orange Coast College.

The Orange County Academic Decathlon is a rigorous, ten-event scholastic competition. Teams from Orange County public and private high schools compete in math, economics, language and literature, science, music, art, social science, speech, interview, and essay. Each nine-member team includes three “A” students, three “B” students, and three “C” students. The theme for the 2013-2014 competition is World War I, as outlined by the Academic Decathlon Association.

The Academic Decathlon program, now the premiere scholastic competition in the country, began in Orange County 45 years ago and was pioneered by former Orange County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Robert Peterson. The OCAD program is sponsored by the non-profit Orange County Academic Decathlon Association, and is administered by OCDE. Additional program sponsors include Del Taco, The , and Learning.com.

Valencia High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, will be announced as the Overall Team Winner and will represent Orange County at the California Academic Decathlon competition in March in Sacramento. The team earned 46,411 points, and will compete against the best high schools from thirty-eight counties throughout California. The OCAD Association will award Valencia High a $3,000 travel stipend to assist the team with the cost of the trip to the state competition.

With overall team scores among the highest in California, Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District, and Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District will also receive invitations to the state competition.

2014 Winning OCAD Teams

Division 1

1st Place: Valencia High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District 2nd Place: Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District 3rd Place: Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District 4th Place: , Garden Grove Unified School District 5th Place: Mission Viejo High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District

Division 2

1st Place: , Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District 2nd Place: Kennedy High School, Anaheim Union High School District 3rd Place: , Capistrano Unified School District 4th Place: , Anaheim Union High School District 5th Place: Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District

Division 3

1st Place: , Private School, Anaheim 2nd Place: Pacifica High School, Garden Grove Unified School District 3rd Place: , Saddleback Valley Unified School District 4th Place: , Brea Olinda Unified School District 5th Place: San Clemente High School, Capistrano Unified School District

For additional information, contact Kristin Rigby, Project Manager, Academic Events, Orange County Department of Education, at 714-966-4435 or [email protected].

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