Decathlon medalists, Hendricken bask in spotlight at State House

Tim Forsberg
Posted 5/19/15

“All of you have worked so hard to be here today and you deserve a great deal of credit. We are incredibly proud of you,” said Governor Gina Raimondo last Thursday at a State House award ceremony …

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Decathlon medalists, Hendricken bask in spotlight at State House

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“All of you have worked so hard to be here today and you deserve a great deal of credit. We are incredibly proud of you,” said Governor Gina Raimondo last Thursday at a State House award ceremony for the winners of the Rhode Island Academic Decathlon. “It gives me unbelievable optimism, faith and confidence in our future to see young, talented people like those here today.”

Now in its 32nd year, the Rhode Island Academic Decathlon conducts annual state competitions between high school teams involving more than 200 students who vie for the honor of representing the state at the national competition.

In March, after preparing throughout the school year, Academic Decathlon teams from across the state composed of students with A, B and C grade point averages competed in a daylong series of tests. Ten academic categories comprised the event: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Science and Speech. Students may win bronze, silver or gold awards.  

A reception Thursday for the competition’s senior gold medallists and the state’s winning team, Bishop Hendricken High School, celebrated the students’ successes.

“Education is a very important aspect of moving our state and our economy forward, and we’re very proud of all of you winners and future leaders that are here today,” said House Speaker Rep. Nicholas Mattiello, who presented each senior gold medallist with a $500 college scholarship from the General Assembly for the 13th year in a row.

The Hendricken team collectively earned more than 45 medals at the state competition on their way to their fifth first-place finish in a row. At the national competition in Garden Grove, Calif., they had impressive results as well, placing 5th out of the 15 middle sized schools in their division, and 14th out of 44 schools overall, winning 16 medals.  

Sister Carol Murray, Hendricken’s longtime Academic Decathlon coach, was thrilled with her team’s results.

“I was extremely proud of them. It’s not too often they hear that from me, but I was extremely proud of them,” said Murray. “I believe when you get to that level, part of being there is meeting schools from other states and just being with those teams. When you get to that competition, you find that coaches keep their teams locked in a room, with meals delivered there, and are never allowed out in preparation for the event. It’s almost like a cult in some of these states. My kids went, did very well, and still enjoyed it.”

The Hendricken team was comprised of nine students: Nicolas Bassi, Geoffrey Boyer, Riley Chabot, Mason Cocroft, Aidan Kendra, Michael Moren, Miles Temel, Nathan Tomasso and Christian Wells.

“We all gave something up,” said Tomasso, who studied for five hours a day during the competition, of Bishop Hendricken’s team sacrifices. “We threw ourselves into this new team and the family it became. The immense pressure and time we devoted to each other and the program turned it into a diamond in the rough.”

Lily Ginsburg, a senior at Classical High School and a gold medallist in the speech category, treated the audience with her competition speech focusing on the importance of reading.

“The most beautiful thing about reading for me is that no one person is born better at reading than anybody else,” said Ginsburg. “It is a chance for any one person, no matter their race, religion or gender, to broaden their perspectives and expand their knowledge base just by having access to a book. That’s why I believe that reading is a chance for true equality.”

The 10 senior gold medallists were presented scholarships and citations. Joseph Zurier (Math), Aleksa Bzenic (Essay), Lily Ginsburg (Speech) and Camila Ramirez (Interview) were recognized from Classical High School. Sean Perrino of Cranston West also won gold in Math. Kathy Luo of East Greenwich High placed gold in the Essay category. Mackenzie Carroll of Johnston High won gold in Art. Elizabeth Heon won two gold medals in Language and Literature and Science. Wynne Fisher of South Kingstown won gold in Art.

Warwick’s own Gabriel Shaker, from Warwick Vets, won gold medals in both Speech and Interview, receiving a perfect score in Interview at the state competition.

After the awards ceremony, the students were brought into the House Chamber, where they were recognized on the floor with a resolution acknowledging their outstanding achievements.

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