HIGH LIFE

Los Alamitos High School finished seventh in the California Academic Decathlon held last weekend in Sacramento.

Taft High School in Woodland Hills won the ninth annual event and will advance to the U.S. Academic Decathlon scheduled for April 30 in San Antonio, Tex.

Los Alamitos, the Orange County champion, competed against 46 schools from 44 counties.

Team members winning first-place awards were Miriam Burstein (scholastic division, essay competition) and Jeff Gima (varsity, social studies). Finishing second were Laurene Harding (scholastic, social studies) and Kurt Spurgin (varsity, language and literature). Derek Stanford finished third (honors, economics). Matt Carter and Caroline Cerneka placed highly in the alternate division, and Steve Chun rounded out the team.

Teachers Kathy Wilson and Pam Steeby advised the team with assistance from school counselor Alcene Looper.

Laguna Hills High School defeated 42 teams to win the 10th Grade Orange County Academic Decathlon held recently at Dana Hills High School.

Sunny Hills High finished second, Woodbridge third, Foothill fourth and Magnolia fifth, Edison sixth, El Dorado seventh, Westminster eighth, University ninth and Canyon 10th.

Individual all-around winners were Robert Kovacev (Foothill), Jeremy Evans (Woodbridge) and Julian Kingston (Laguna Hills).

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

--Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)