Marshall High School Shines At Academic Decathlon

LOS ANGELES, CA — Local brainiacs did their school proud at the 2019 California Academic Decathlon in Sacramento Sunday. John Marshall High School students were among nine Los Angeles Unified School District teams to compete in the statewide contest, earning a score of 44,354.80 to land among the top echelon of competitors.

Overall, LA area schools crushed it at the decathlon, which draws dozens of the best teams from around the state. Once again, Granada Hills Charter High School won the 2019 California Academic Decathlon in Sacramento Sunday, regaining the title they have now won seven of the last nine years, but lost last year to El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. Other impressive Valley area teams included Bishop Alemany, Calabasas High School, Westlake High School, Van Nuys High School and Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Granada Hills will now shoot for its seventh national title at the U.S. Academic Decathlon in Bloomington, Minnesota, from April 25-27.

El Camino Real finished second.

This year's state competition was themed "The 1960s: A Transformational Decade."

"We're thrilled that our 2019 team is carrying on Granada Hills Charter's tradition of dedication, teamwork and perseverance," said Brian Bauer, executive director of Granada Hills Charter. "The Academic Decathlon is always a challenging event that presents students with unexpected hurdles, and this year's team responded by studying and working as hard as possible. Throughout their studies and competitions, they have shown real character and unity as a team. We all wish them the best of luck in Minnesota."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.