Bishop Hendricken finishes 2nd place at the 2019 USAD Nationals in Minnesota
For further information, contact: Michele King, Director of Communications, mking@hendricken.com, 401.739.3450, ext. 131.
BLOOMINGTON, MN (April 27, 2019) – Bishop Hendricken High School’s Academic Decathlon team, led by Sr. Carol Anne Murray, placed 2nd in Division III at the 2019 United States Academic Decathlon Nationals in Bloomington, Minnesota on Saturday.
After earning its 9th consecutive Rhode Island state title at the Community College of Rhode Island in March, Bishop Hendricken’s team made its way to Bloomington last Friday, April 19th to begin a full week of preparation for the competition which began on Thursday. Following a round of individual testing, interviews, and speeches, the team competed in the ever-popular Super Quiz on Friday afternoon.
The nine-man team includes: Timothy Moren ’20, Logan Lemay ’20, David Weekers ’20, Joseph D’Alfonso ’20, Timothy Dziekan ’19, Jonas Kendra ’20, Xavier Lora ’20, Ryan Murphy ’19, and Jack O’Hara ’20.
This marks the third time in four years that the team placed 2nd nationally within its division (2016, 2018 & 2019). Bishop Hendricken won its division at the national competition in 2017.
Sr. Carol Anne and her team began their preparation for the state competition, and eventual national berth, in the summer. Since then, the team has been required to dedicate nearly all of its free time to studying, all while meeting twice-a-week for practices during the school year. A veteran coach and known competitor, in an interview with the Rhode Island Catholic in April, it was noted that while Sr. Carol Anne may be a Sister of Mercy, “when it comes to the Academic Decathlon, she knows how to be merciless.”
The Academic Decathlon is a team-based competition wherein students match their intellect with students from other schools. Students compete in 10 categories: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Science and Speech. Each participant had to prepare and deliver a short speech, complete an interview with the judges, and then take part in the final Super Quiz.
In addition to placing 2nd nationally as a team, the following students earned individual awards and distinctions:
Logan Lemay ’20 (Honors)
Bronze in Interview
Timothy Moren ’20 (Honors)
Gold in Art
Gold in Essay
Silver in Mathematics
Silver in Literature
Bronze in Science
David Weekers ’20 (Honors)
Bronze in Science
Bronze in Art
Joseph D’Alfonso ’20 (Scholastic)
Bronze in Literature
Silver in Art
Bronze in Essay
Timothy Dziekan ’19 (Scholastic)
Silver in Music
Jonas Kendra ’20 (Scholastic)
Silver in Mathematics
Ryan Murphy ’19 (Varsity)
Bronze in Economics
Bronze in Social Science
Bronze in Interview
Jack O’Hara ’20 (Varsity)
Bronze in Mathematics
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