January 30 and 31, Bingham’s Academic Decathlon team competed at region against fourteen other schools at Westminster. With 34,901 points, they placed first in the large school division and second overall, losing to Park City by about 1,700 points. They also took second in the SuperQuiz competition with 45 points, losing to DaVinci by 3 points.

For those unaware of Academic Decathlon, coach Mr. Barton summed it up thusly: “Academic Decathlon competition demands that our students study and master ten different academic disciplines.  In other words, we make college freshmen cry.”  The Decathlon involves seven multiple choice events in math, social science, science, literature, economics, music, and art, as well as speech, essay, and interview events.  Miss Bridge, assistant coach, said, “This year’s Academic Decathlon team is diverse in both personality and intellect.  Because the work is so rigorous it is fortuitous that they have humor to balance them.”  They study together twice a week and study on their own as much as humanly possible.

The team will travel to St. George for the state competition March 5-7, where they hope to take first and head to nationals in California in April.