American Canyon High School Academic Decathlon Team Makes Program History at Regional Competition

American Canyon High School's Academic Decathlon team achieved remarkable success at the North Bay Regional competition held on Saturday. Competing against 16 teams from seven counties, the 18-member ACHS team, the largest to represent the school at regionals, earned second place overall, a historic first for the program. This impressive finish qualifies the team for the State Competition in March.

The competition challenged decathletes in ten diverse subjects: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Literature, Math, Music, Science, Social Science, and Speech. This year's theme, "Our Changing Climate," was integrated into seven of these categories. Students competed within three divisions based on GPA: Honors (3.8+), Scholastic (3.2-3.79), and Varsity (below 3.19). ACHS consistently competes in Division 1, the division for higher-scoring teams.

"This team’s success is a testament to their perseverance and hard work," said Coach Alma Gonzalez. "Academic Decathlon challenges students to think critically, collaborate, and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways—skills that will serve them well beyond the competition. It’s inspiring to see their resilience pay off at such a high level."

The team's outstanding performance resulted in a total of 32 individual medals and 16 team medals. Individual and team awards highlighted the team's exceptional achievements. Linda C. earned a Gold medal in Speech with a perfect score. Chair M. also achieved perfect scores and Gold medals in both Interview and Speech, along with a Bronze medal in the 11th grade Honors category. Other notable individual medal winners included La Chelle B. (Essay-Silver), Jesus C. (Interview-Gold), Elena C. (Literature-Silver, Speech-Gold, Overall 11th Grade Scholastic-Bronze), Isabella L. (Essay-Bronze, Interview-Silver, Science-Silver), Kian V. (Science-Bronze, Speech-Silver, Overall 10th Grade Scholastic-Bronze), Alex V. (Music-Gold, Speech-Silver), Zachary Z. (Economics-Bronze, Math-Gold, Science-Gold, Social Science-Gold, Overall 11th Grade Scholastic-Gold), Alex M. (Interview-Bronze, Literature-Silver, Math-Gold, Science-Silver, Overall 12th Grade Varsity-Bronze), and Ezekiel C. (Art-Gold, Essay-Gold, Literature-Gold, Science-Bronze, Overall 12th Grade Varsity-Gold). Notably, Zachary Z. earned the third-highest Scholastic score in the entire competition, while Ezekiel C. achieved the highest Varsity score.

"Our students have demonstrated not only academic excellence but also the confidence, adaptability, and teamwork that are at the heart of NVUSD’s Graduate Portrait," said Principal Karin Hatton. "Their historic achievement reflects our district’s commitment to preparing students for bright futures, and we couldn’t be prouder."

The ACHS Super Quiz team, comprised of Arianne A., Jairus B., Linda C., Chair M., La Chelle B., Jesus C., Zachary Z., Alex M., and Ezekiel C., secured third place in Division 1, earning bronze medals. Arianne A., Linda C., Chair M., Jesus C., Elena C., Zachary Z., Alex M., and Ezekiel C. also earned silver medals for their contributions to the team's second-place overall finish, the highest in program history.

The success at regionals has earned the ACHS team an invitation to the State Competition from March 21-23. Arianne A., Isabella .L, and Chair M. (Honors); Jesus C., Elena C., and Zachary Z. (Scholastic); and Alex M. and Ezekiel C. (Varsity) will represent American Canyon High School.

The team will hold mock competitions on March 4, 11, and 17 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at ACHS to prepare for state. Community members are invited to attend and support the team. Interested individuals can sign up via this online form.  For other ways you can support the team, contact Alma Gonzalez at argonzalez@nvusd.org.  

The team extends its sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to their success, including volunteers, parents, and community members who have supported Dine and Donate events and mock competitions.The team especially acknowledges Sindy Biederman, Kyla Cansino, Brando Cruz, Cabel Dawson, Jean Donalson, Teo Gascon, Karin Hatton, Jeanne Hillyard, Claire Lewis, Kelley Miller, Belia Ramos, Carl Wagner, Stephenie Wagner, Bill Walton, Cindy Watter, and Nancy Wynne de Rivera for their invaluable assistance during mock competitions, which contributed to the students’ outstanding performance, including four perfect scores.