Franklin High Finishes Fifth in State Academic Decathlon

Months of preparation paid off for the Academic Decathlon team on Sunday, as the squad took fifth place in the prestigious state-wide competition.

Five LAUSD teams ranked in the top-ten of the 65 school Academic Decathlon competition, including Granada Hills Charter High School, who earned first place.

Other LAUSD teams to rank in the top ten included El Camino Real and John Marshall High Schools, which placed second and third, respectively. Taft High School placed tenth.

Franklin also took home second place in the "Super Quiz" portion of the competition, earning 5,300 of 6,000 possible points.

"The team has put in countless hours of work," said FHS principle Joseph Nacorda. "They would work until 8 p.m. on school nights and study extra on Saturdays. This shows that a school like Franklin, in a neighborhood like Highland Park, can be top notch."

Alex Moreno, junior, was one of the competition's leading scorers on the varsity level, Nacorda said.

Franklin's fifth place finish is one spot better than they earned in 2011. Their score was also good for fifth in the entire nation, this year.

"Fifth in California equals fifth in the country, because this state is such a powerhouse in Academic Decathlon," Nacorda said.

Sunday's competition was bittersweet for FHS, though, as it came on the heels of a LAUSD vote to eliminate a $400,000 funding program that helps schools pay for the costs associated with Academic Decathlon, which include food, travel, lodging and registration fees.

It typically costs Franklin about $15,000 to take part in the competition, which is in part paid for by $8,000 in LAUSD funds.

"It's really unfortunate," Nacorda said. "This is something very important that the district needs to help carry on."