“We thought for sure we had third or fourth [place], so when they read second place we thought, ‘Maybe next year...,’ “ recalls OLA Principal Sue Long. “Then, when they announced first place, our entire school exploded!”
For the first time in the 20 year history of the event in the Diocese of San Bernardino, Our Lady of the Assumption was the winner.
Said Long, “Our coordinator, Mrs. Ruvalcaba told me, ‘Okay, now I get why the kids cry when they win first place!’ This was definitely a Red Letter Day for OLA!”
It was especially rewarding for OLA eighth grader Liana Hernandez, who placed first in the individual Science competition.
Our Lady of the Assumption narrowly edged out St. Hyacinth Academy, which placed second. The day was a successful one for St. Hyacinth, which won the Super Quiz and saw its students win three of the individual competitions. Two-time defending champion Sacred Heart Academy placed third overall and won two individual competitions.
In addition to Hernandez’s win in the Science competition, the other individual first place finishers in the Academic Decathlon were: Raymart Rillo of St. Hyacinth Academy (Writing), Adriana Reyes of St. Hyacinth Academy (Religion), Devin Alexandre of St. Margaret Mary School (Math), Avery Kruppe of Sacred Heart School, Palm Desert (English), Bridget Archuleta of St. Hyacinth Academy (Literature), Janina Akporvbara of Sacred Heart Academy (Current Events), William Alhadeff of Sacred Heart, Palm Desert (Social Studies), and Aileen Corpus of Sacred Heart Academy (Fine Arts).