SAN DIEGO — Just how exciting was the 2026 Catholic Academic Junior High Decathlon?
To answer a question with a question, have you ever heard of an awards ceremony that lasted over two hours because there was so much cheering?
“The decibels hurt all of our ears,” said Elizabeth Kramer, associate superintendent of the Diocese of San Diego’s Catholic schools and a decathlon regional coordinator.
“The energy in the room is really electric and just fun to be around,” she said, describing a scene that included “huge banners, and signs, and posters, and … lots of cheering.”
At the diocesan-level decathlon event, which was held March 7 at St. Augustine High School, 36 teams from local Catholic elementary schools competed for the honor of representing the diocese at the national-level of the competition, which was to be held virtually on March 20.
For the second year in a row, St. Michael’s School won first-place-overall. Last year, the school went on to earn fourth-place-overall nationally.
Second- and third-place-overall went to Good Shepherd School in Mira Mesa and the Gold Team from St. Patrick School in Carlsbad, one of two teams the school sent to the competition.
There were two full-team events – the Logic Quiz and the Super Quiz – and eight individual subject tests, where only one member per team participated. The first-place winners in the individual subject tests also went on to participate in the national competition.
For the Logic Quiz, all 10 students on each team were given an hour to work together to solve 20 challenging logic puzzles. For the Super Quiz, they collaborated to answer 50 multiple-choice questions about Fine Arts, Literature, Religion, Science and Social Studies.
For each subject test, individual students were given 50 minutes to complete the multiple-choice test.
“I am extremely proud of the 355 students that worked tirelessly all year long to study in preparation for the Academic Junior High Decathlon,” said Kramer. “They showed grit, determination, perseverance, teamwork, collaboration, and a joy for the celebration of learning.”
“It was a really fun, amazing day,” she said of the diocesan-level event, “and all of the students should be proud of their accomplishments, whether they walked away with a ribbon, or a medal, or not.”
St. Michael’s School won first-place in the Logic Quiz, while Good Shepherd School claimed top honors in the Super Quiz.
The first-place winners in the individual subject tests were:
–Current Events: Clara Garrison, Stella Maris Academy
–English: Arielle Smith, Mater Dei Catholic Elementary School’s Blue Team
–Fine Arts: Makenna Mohnacky, St. Patrick School’s (Carlsbad) Gold Team
–Literature: Iris Ettenhofer, St. Didacus School
–Math: Nathan Lee, St. Michael’s School
–Religion: Emilio Garcia Cora, St. Mary’s School (El Centro) Team 1
–Science: Evelyn Ceschini, St. Pius X School (Chula Vista) Blue Team
–Social Studies: Maria Joby, St. Michael’s School
For more information, visit catholicajhd.org or email ekramer@sdcatholic.org.
