Shawnee Mission South High School earned the championship title at this year’s state Academic Decathlon competition. This marks the 21st Academic Decathlon state championship for Shawnee Mission South in the last 23 years.
The team is now invited to advance to national competition in Minnesota in April.
“We have a very dedicated group of students and we are very excited to be heading to nationals in April!” Amelia Mullin, senior and team captain said.
The Academic Decathlon asks competitors to answer questions in seven objective categories including art, music, math, economics, social science, science, and literature. They also compete in three events including interviews, speeches, and essays. This year, Academic Decathlon questions were all related to the 1960s.
The Shawnee Mission team begins preparing for the Academic Decathlon as soon as study materials are released in the spring. They practice once a week during the summer and twice a week during the school year. The team also is supported by a retired teacher, Stan Stern, who serves as a volunteer.
“South has a history of winning at the state level due to the continued support we have gotten from Mr. Stern,” Mullin said.
The Shawnee Mission South Academic Decathlon Team includes:
Amelia Mullin – Captain
Alex Erwin – Captain
Grace Markum
Eleanor Jones
Teddy Blair
Will Cooper
Hannah Pickert
Ben Shaw
Nate Pulliam
Jakob Grable