Held at Aquinas High School on March 4, the battle of wits brought together sixth, seventh and eighth graders from 13 Catholic schools in the Diocese. It was Sacred Heart Academy’s fourth win in the 19-year history of the event. St. Hyacinth Academy, San Jacinto, finished second and Sacred Heart School, Palm Desert placed third.
“I’m very proud of the students who represented our school, and then the Diocese at the state competition,” said Sacred Heart Academy Principal Angela Williams. “They demonstrated dedication, a strong work ethic and teamwork.”
Sacred Heart went on to compete at the state level Academic Decathlon on April 1 where several students placed in their individual competitions. Williams called the Sacred Heart Academy team “self-motivated,” adding that the students could often be seen spending their lunch break huddled together prepping for the competition.
“They celebrated their success with humility, not a lot of bravado,” Williams said.
As with they did the previous year, Sacred Heart Academy Students were strong in the individual competitions on March 4. Daniel Martinez (Current Events), Arielle Cunanan (Social Studies) and Cassidy Chiong (English) all placed first.
The other individual competition winners were Michael Quilang of Sacred Heart, Rancho Cucamonga (Religion), Mikey Kendall of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Science), Samantha Tiago of St. Hyacinth Academy (Math), Emma Mermilliod of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Literature), Emily Quagliani of Sacred Heart, Palm Desert (Written Essay) and Madison Flores of St. Hyacinth Academy (Fine Arts).