Highland Park ISD captured the state title this spring in a competition that required academic strength, mental agility, and intellectual discipline.
A team of eight students from Highland Park High School placed first in the medium school division of the state Academic Decathlon competition in San Antonio. Highland Park went on to become one of just five teams to represent Texas at the national championship in California.
The grueling contest tested students’ knowledge in seven subject areas: art, literature, economics, math, music, science, and social science. In addition, team members each gave two speeches, one prepared and one impromptu, participated in an interview, and were judged on essay writing. Finally, they showcased their expertise during a public Super Quiz where any subject area was fair game, but the results did not count toward the team’s total score.
The decathlon wasn’t just for top students. Team members were divided into three categories based on their grade-point averages, and two scores from each category counted toward Highland Park’s total.
The team’s strategy was simple. Study.
“You have to study the material. You have to make sure that it’s always in your head,” explained David Alvarado, who co-sponsored the team with Alex Murchison. “You can’t just study the night before. That’s not going to work.”
Many team members began their journey toward state by preparing during the summer. After school started in August, they took practice tests during their lunch periods. As the state competition neared, some students spent about six hours each week practicing for the exams. Then, the team arrived early in San Antonio for the state championship and devoted several days to studying before taking the tests.
“Obviously it’s difficult, but I think at the end of the day we all enjoy it, and we find it rewarding,” senior Angela Gonzalez said. “That’s why we’re here.”
“It’s really just a sport about studying,” added senior Preston Houghton.
Athletic teams would be envious of Highland Park’s winning record in the classroom. This was the program’s seventh state title in its size category since 2016. In four of those years, Highland Park ranked first in the state among schools of any size.
“I think there’s a team expectation to excel,” Gonzalez said, remarking that the team has performed well every year that Alvarado has been at its helm. “We all rise to the occasion.”
Team members each received $1,000 scholarships for their win. But the opportunity to connect with talented students from around the state and learn new material were rewards in themselves.
Senior Dominic Pogue, who plans to study art history in college, said that he had particularly enjoyed learning about art, while junior Sophia Jiang’s favorite portion of the competition was impromptu speaking.
“Of course you get to bring home medals, and they look all nice and shiny. But you’re really building life-long study skills. With interview, you’re building interactive skills,” Houghton said. “All of these skills are going to carry on, not just through high school, but into college and into your later life.”
The team ended its season by finishing sixth overall out of 69 teams from around the country at the national championship. But Alvarado said he hoped students had learned more than just decathlon facts.
“I want them to be able to see what they’re capable of,” he said. “I just hope they take that with them, that they understand that they do have the potential to achieve what they want to achieve.”
