VASJ Academic Decathlon team wins State Tournament

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School’s Academic Decathlon team added another state championship to the school’s impressive list after winning the Novice Division at the 2019 Ohio Academic Decathlon State Competition on March 16.

“We are so proud of the students on our Academic Decathlon team,” says VASJ Principal David Csank. “They worked hard all year and achieved the ultimate goal: Winning a state title in the competition. To win the championship in only their third year is an amazing accomplishment!”

This is not the first state win for VASJ’s Academic Decathlon Coach Bob Seitz, who has been coaching for over 30 years. Exactly 10 years ago, he coached the Collinwood High School team to a state championship. Seitz knows the hard work and dedication it takes for students to achieve this level of success.

“These students are to be commended for undertaking a rigorous curriculum consisting of seven major subjects, two speeches, an interview, and an essay,” Setiz says. “Attending after-school practice sessions, writing an essay, preparing a speech, and studying seven subjects is quite an undertaking for high school students. Their sacrifice and hard work has paid off and it is a proud moment for us to be associated with and supported by Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School.”

His team, comprised of Tyyonna Davis ’19, John Michalski ’20, Tyler Matambanadzo ’19, Nevaeh Jernigan ’21, Clarke Moore ’21, Matt Ballard ’21, Mark Ballard ’21, and ’21 Michael Strother, earned a total of 36 medals (14 Gold, 15 Silver, and 7 Bronze) at the state tournament.

“It was awesome and I felt so proud of my team,” says Team Captain John Michalski. “It was a great way to end the season. We all worked really hard and Mr. Seitz was a great coach and really inspired us to achieve our potential.”

Prior to winning the state competition, the team earned second place in the Novice Division at regionals. Mark Ballard achieved the highest overall score in the Scholastic Division and Michael Strother achieved the second-highest score of all the competing students in Interview with a 990 out of 1000.

“This is quite an accomplishment,” says Seitz. “It has been my pleasure working with such wonderful students,” Seitz says. “Through their hard work and dedication, they have shown that VASJ is truly a school that can excel in academic endeavors.”

The United States Academic Decathlon is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students. The topic for this year was "The 1960's, a transformational decade.” Individual events included exams in Science, Economics, Social Science, Mathematics, Literature, Art, and Music. Also included in the competition was an essay, interview, and two speeches.

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is a Catholic, comprehensive college-preparatory school rooted in the Ursuline and Marianist traditions and committed to the spiritual, academic, and personal growth of each student.

For more information, contact Director of Communications Emily Robinson at [email protected].