Academic Decathlon to put students through mental paces

January 30, 2009

Academic Decathlon to put students through mental paces

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Twenty teams of high school students from throughout Indiana will attempt to leap academic hurdles on Feb. 13-14 when they participate in the Indiana Academic Decathlon State Finals at Purdue University.

Administered by the Indiana Association of School Principals and sponsored by Purdue, the event features teams of students competing through tests, essays, speeches and interviews to advance to a national competition, which will take place in Memphis on April 22-25.

Two events will be open to the public at 2:30 Feb. 14 in the Loeb Playhouse. They include the Oral Super Quiz and the Speech Showcase, which will feature six of the top-scoring students in the speech portion of the competition. An awards ceremony will follow.

Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said the competition is one way the university helps support education throughout the state.

"Purdue is committed to supporting academic excellence in Indiana high schools," Lechtenberg said. "By serving as a host for academic competitions, Purdue hopes to inspire students to do their best, excel in high school and become familiar with our tradition of academic excellence at the collegiate level."

Gerald Mohr, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Principals, said the IASP values its partnership with Purdue.

"For years, Purdue has been a major supporter of K-12 education throughout Indiana," Mohr said. "In addition to sponsoring academic competitions such as the decathlon, they train teachers, offer interactive educational demonstrations, sponsor enrichment activities and reach out to families who need help sending children to college," Mohr said.

In addition to providing funding for the competitions, Purdue assists with question writing, presenting awards, and offering promotional and technical assistance.

Future competitions include the Indiana Academic Super Bowl, in which teams of middle and high school students compete in English, math, science, fine arts and social studies categories, and the Indiana Academic Spell Bowl. The events will take place at Purdue on May 9 and Nov. 4, respectively.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Victor Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu

Gerald Mohr, (317) 891-9900 ext. 210, gmohr@iasp.org

Kyle Harrop, IASP student program director, (317) 891-9900 Ext. 220, (317) 319-3856 (cell), kharrop@iasp.org

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: A list of high schools that will have students participating in the competition is available online at https://www.iasp.org/iace/DecathlonStateFinalsInformation.html. Media are invited to cover the Oral Super Quiz, which takes place at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 14 in the Loeb Playhouse. It will be followed by the Speech Showcase and awards ceremony. Journalists also can obtain contest results by calling Kyle Harrop, Indiana Association of School Principals program director, after 5 p.m. Feb. 14 at (317) 319-3856.

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