Simi Valley High Captures Academic Decathlon : Education: The nine-member team’s winning score of 43,733 points tops 12 other schools, and officials say the total may be a county record.

With reigning champion Moorpark High School out of the competition this year, Simi Valley High trounced 12 other schools in Ventura County’s annual academic decathlon Saturday.

When county schools Supt. Charles Weis, serving as the decathlon’s moderator, announced that Simi Valley had bested the rest with a score of 43,733, the school’s nine-member team burst out of the bleachers.

“I feel very intelligent all of a sudden and very proud,” said Derek Schmidt, 17, wearing a huge grin as his teammates checked out the winner’s trophy. “It was a lot of hard work.”

Simi Valley’s score topped Moorpark’s winning score of 42,759 last year, and officials said the school’s showing at the 14th annual academic decathlon may be a county record.

Ventura’s Buena High School placed second with 41,235 points, and Thousand Oaks High scored a close third with 40,620 points.

Paul Isaac, a 17-year-old Buena senior who hopes to attend Harvard, said his team had displayed a substantial amount of brain power, despite its finish behind Simi Valley.

“I think it’s nice to know that we worked hard to be better than a lot of schools,” Paul said. “We were only worse than one.”

Rob Collins, one of the Simi Valley team’s two coaches, said the school’s victory ends a decade of less stellar finishes.

“It’s the first time we’ve won since 1985, so it’s been a long dry spell,” said Collins, a social studies and government teacher at Simi Valley High. “I’m really excited.”

But Collins said the outcome might have been different if Moorpark High, the decathlon powerhouse that swept the competition the past two years, had been in the contest. Larry Jones, Moorpark’s coach for the past four years, decided to take a year off to spend more time with his family before heading the team again next year.

“We want to thank [Jones] for not coaching this year,” Collins said.

All day Saturday, students shuttled back and forth among classrooms at Rio Mesa High School near Oxnard to take tests in 10 subjects, including essay, mathematics, science, language and literature. But the competition ratcheted up during the afternoon’s Super Quiz, in which the 13 teams, assembled in the school’s gymnasium, had to answer 30 questions on the United Nations.

More than 500 family members and team supporters packed the gym’s bleachers, fidgeting and scribbling notes as the decathletes were quizzed on subjects that included the Korean War and the United Nations’ peacekeeping forces in Bosnia.

“I’m kind of nervous right now,” said Jim Steele, a criminal justice teacher at Adolfo Camarillo High. “This is just as exciting as football, isn’t it? Except no cheerleaders.”

Adolfo Camarillo blazed past other schools in the Super Quiz, taking home medals for each of the nine team members.

Weis said the academic decathlon and the prizes that students receive help foster positive attitudes about school.

“This was to give the same kind of recognition to kids for academic talent that is provided to kids on a regular basis for athletic excellence,” Weis said. “That’s really the primary purpose of school.”

Contrary to popular opinion, decathletes say their high school peers do not consider them a bunch of nerds, but rather treat them with respect.

“Just as football players are recognized for their talents, we’re recognized for our talents,” said Todd Tatelman, a 17-year-old senior at Adolfo Camarillo who wants to attend Georgetown University.

Decathletes such as Buena High’s Parveen Parmar said preparing for the contest requires giving up weekends and holidays, hanging out after school and other sacrifices.

“Try five hours of sleep a night,” said Parveen, a senior who wants to attend Oxford University in England. “That’s why we have no life.”

Also Saturday, Rio Mesa High School received an award for most improved school. The award for highest individual scorer went to Todd Wilder, a 17-year-old senior at Buena High. La Reina High School won fourth place overall with 39,161 points.