LCWM Academic Decathlon Team Showcased at MSBA State Conference
The Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial Academic Decathlon program was featured at the Minnesota School Boards Association’s annual Leadership Conference on Thursday, January 15, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The team was part of the conference’s Showcase of Excellence event, which highlights some of the state’s most unique and outstanding programs in education. Coach Billy James and chaperone Tracy Meadows along with students Morgan Klinkner, Karl Schwartz, Phena Jones, Jacob Nelson, Nason Krzmarzick, Derek Bernat, Reese Anderson, and Bella Jacobs took part in the event.
Academic Decathlon is the premier scholastic competition in the United States. Students compete in three divisions based upon their grade point average. Students take seven written exams in art, economics, literature, math, music, science, and social science. Students also perform a prepared and an impromptu speech, write an essay, and participate in an interview. The curriculum topic changes each year, and this year’s topic is “The Roaring Twenties”. The LCWM Academic Decathlon team has won 14 Minnesota state championships and participated in 18 national competitions. Students have won numerous individual regional, state, and national medals.
MSBA’s annual Leadership Conference draws nearly 2,000 school board members, school administrators, and others. The Showcase of Excellence event is an opportunity for conference attendees to learn more about innovative programs from across the state. There were 18 programs from across Minnesota that were featured in this year’s School Excellence Showcase.
“The School Excellence Showcase is one of the highlights of the conference. School leaders can see innovative ideas from other districts, and they can talk to students and staff who have been involved with the programs. This is a great way for school leaders and educators to learn from each other and share their success stories,” said Katie Klanderud, MSBA Board Development Director.