The CPHS Academic Decathlon Team!

The CPHS Academic Decathlon team made school history on Saturday, January 27th, at the divisional meet at Ramapo High School. With honorable mentions in Economics, Interview, Literature, Art and Science from students Kleidon Ndreu, James Martinez, Emily Ventura and Starr Vijolan Bobelea, a gold medal for interview for Menarva Matar, and an Individual Entry to the State Finals on March 3rd for Kleidon Ndreu, Coach Mrs. Henry could not be more proud of her amazing team.

The events that took place to yield these results were numerous. The Academic Decathlon required participants to take tests on various subjects including Literature, Science, Social Science, Economics, Music, Art History, and others. The tests were also geared toward this year’s topic: Africa. The students were also called out for a prepared speech and an impromptu speech relevant to the theme. The impromptu speech was chosen by students who had one minute to prepare once selected. There was also an interview wherein participants were questioned on their school activities, accomplishments, academics, and work history.

At the end of the day, the “Super Quiz” took place in the gym. All of the competing schools had students go up three at a time in teams designated varsity, honors and scholastic levels. These groups were defined by students’ GPA’s.

At the awards dinner at Rutherford High School, Cliffside Park did exceptionally well. At the conclusion of the dinner, Student Council President Kleidon Ndreu was selected as the representative from Cliffside Park to go to the State Finals.

The Academic Decathlon experience is sometimes exhausting. The amount of studying and preparation the team has had to do is immense. The results, however, have yielded good news for Cliffside Park.