‘Free path’ to top was perfect

BY TOM SHERIDAN 

   STAFF WRITER 
   West Valley High School senior Mc Crae Remudaro knew what was riding on his response to the last of the 12 questions of the Super Quiz portion of the Riverside County Academic Decathlon at Heritage High in Romoland. 

   A perfect score. 


   Remudaro was 11 for 11 to that point, providing the correct answer on questions from categories such as science, social science, art, music, economics and literature. 

   The final question: What is the meaning of “free path”? 

   Remudaro was certain he knew the answer was A) average distance a molecule travels before a collision. So he rared back and fired. 

   “The last question is like the final out in the ninth inning,” Remudaro said. “I saw the question (and) I was like, ‘I know this one. I know it.’ So I put down my answer, turned it in to the proctor. That was it.” 

   West Valley High Coach Tim Hannem said it was the first time in school history that an academic decathlete recorded a perfect score in the Super Quiz, one of the five categories that students are tested in as part of the competition. 

   Remudaro, along with his eight teammates, had put in literally hundreds of hours preparing for the competition since last May. Art Plinski, who coaches Hemet High, said his stu dents put in 30-35 hours a week in the month leading up to the county competition. 

   “I'm astounded by the level of commitment these kids are able to put in,” Hannem said. 

   The county academic de cathlon is a two-day event. The essay, speech and interview components took place Jan. 31, also at Heritage High. On Saturday, Feb. 7, contestants took a threehour written exam, followed by the Super Quiz. 

   Nineteen teams from 18 schools took part this year. Corona fielded two teams. 

   Each team has three separate three-student units – honors, scholastic and varsity. The students are designated based on grade-point averages. 

   Remudaro was part of the scholastic team, for students with GPAs between 3.0 and 3.4. 

   Steve Hovey, the chief personnel officer for the Riverside County Office of Education, has served as the Super Quiz master for the past four years. 

   “In order for a team to be successful they have to have success with the C students, the B students and the A students,” Hovey said. “Because no team can win with just the honors group.” 

   About three hours after the conclusion of the Super Quiz, about 500 people filled the school theater for the awards ceremony, where Hemet’s West Valley was crowned team champion. It automatically qualifies for state competition March 19-22 in Sacramento. 

   For West Valley – which competes in black hooded sweatshirts and white headbands with eye-black stickers across their cheekbones – it was the fifth county title in six years. 

   “The kids make their own culture around the team,” said Hannem, a West Valley grad who competed for the team in the early 2000s. “This (hoodies, headbands, eye black) is something that has existed for at least the last eight or nine years. It’s a tradition we’ve been carrying forward. Every successive generation of the team wants to build on the legacy that’s been created.” 

   CONTACT THE WRITER: 

   [email protected]  
PHOTOS: FRANK BELLINO, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER 

   Hemet’s West Valley High School’s team members react during the Super Quiz competition at the Riverside County Academic Decathlon at Heritage High School in Romoland on Saturday. 

Mc Crae Remudaro reacts after answering all questions correctly during the Super Quiz competition. 

From left, Amanda Yuelapwan, Lance Higgins and Brandon Spradling of Tahquitz High School in Hemet react after answering a question during the Super Quiz portion of the decathlon. 

Moreno Valley High School’s Hailey Hensley looks over one of the Super Quiz questions. 

Riverside County Academic Decathlon 
   Where: Heritage High School, Romoland 

   What: Students compete in multiple academic disciplines 

   Participants: 19 teams from 18 schools; more than 160 students 

   Team champion: West Valley High, Hemet 

   State competition: March 19-22 in Sacramento
http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/PressEnterprise/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=UFNFLzIwMTUvMDIvMDg.&pageno=OQ..&entity=QXIwMDkwMQ..&view=ZW50aXR5 Source: www.pe.com
Published