Academic Decathlon

Since its inception in 1997, the SFDS Academic Decathlon Team has earned numerous awards in team and individual events. The Team participates in two Academic competitions each year, competing against hundreds of Catholic elementary schools from Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Areas of study include Mathematics, Theoretical and Empirical Sciences, Literature, English/Grammar, Religion, Social Studies, Fine Arts, Music, Art History, Geography, Current Events, Speech, Spelling, Logic and Reasoning. Students attend weekly practices from July through April, investing hundreds of hours in study and preparation.

Team members learn to appreciate and embrace each other's talents and work together as partners. Students have fun learning academic material through a variety of instructional modalities including games and puzzles, audio, visual and tactile experiences.

Students from 6th, 7th and 8th grades who meet stringent criteria are invited to participate. Students are evaluated on their academic performance, behavior, work habits, attendance history, standardized test scores, and their efforts and consistency in following our Student Learning Expectations as defined by our school motto, "Living by the A's".