Mental Muscle

Ah, to be young and able to express, on command, the number eight in binary code. That sort of knowledge--and the ability to promptly recall it--helped nine students from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills win the prestigious state Academic Decathlon for the second straight year.

Last weekend’s victory earns the students a spot at the national competition in Utah next month--a contest in which the school’s team placed second last year. It should be noted that six of the top 10 spots in the competition were nabbed by Southern California high schools. Trabuco Hills High, in Orange County, placed second.

All of these bright kids spent weeks preparing to compete intellect to intellect with opponents. With them at every after-school study session and weekend practice were teachers who coddled, cajoled and challenged. These days, kids too often get attention for what they can’t do academically and teachers get the blame for problems beyond their control. The students in the Academic Decathlon, and the teachers who guided them, remind us how willing minds can shine with the right guidance.