‘Nerd Herd’ of Sepulveda Wins Battle of the Brains

The “Nerd Herd” has taken top honors in this year’s Los Angeles Unified School District’s Academic Pentathlon.

The nine-member team from Sepulveda Junior High School--which bestowed the moniker on itself during training last fall--finished ahead of Porter Junior High School of Granada Hills and 78 other schools in the seventh annual battle of the brains, district officials said Tuesday. The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, a district magnet school, finished third.

“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it because we won,” said Jason Chen, 14, of Van Nuys.

It was the second consecutive first-place finish for the Sepulveda team.

The Feb. 24 competition, which drew more than 700 participants from 80 schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District, tested students in math, science, history and essay writing. The fifth event, called the Super Quiz, required students to answer questions about a John Steinbeck book, “The Red Pony.”

“I had students who read that book four or five times, right up to the night before the competition,” said team coach Kathy Floor, a health and science teacher.

The Sepulveda school, which has 2,000 students, has finished no worse than third place since the district began the academic competition in 1984. The school team finished first last year, as well as in 1987.

The Sepulveda team members, who by contest rules are divided evenly among A, B and C students, also include Katie Unterman, Gabriel White, Miriam Kim, Teja Fox, Jonathan Kirzner, Shawn Park, Chris Allen and Kimberly Burr.

The school board is scheduled to honor the team during an April 2 reception.

The Sepulveda school is a finalist for designation by the state as a distinguished school, Principal Wilbert Whitaker said.

El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills earlier this month finished second in the statewide Academic Decathlon competition for high school students. There is no statewide event for junior high school students.