Los Banos and Le Grand Schools Earn First Place at Merced County Academic Pentathlon

The results of the Merced County Academic Pentathlon were revealed at the Merced Theatre on May 10, where families, educators and community members gathered for the Super Quiz event and awards ceremony. The annual competition brought together more than 350 middle school students from across the county to showcase their academic prowess. 

Grasslands Elementary (6th), Le Grand Elementary (7th) and Los Banos Jr High (8th) were the overall top scoring teams of the competition, with all three schools also taking the top spots in Super Quiz.

Max Menefee, an 8th grader at Creekside Junior High, was the overall top scoring student. Menefee earned this award all three years of Pentathlon competition. 

As the top scoring 6th grade team in California, Grasslands Elementary will now advance to the United States Pentathlon National Competition May 15-17 in San Antonio, Texas. Menefee will also compete at the National Competition as an individual.  

The Academic Pentathlon consisted of five subject areas: fine arts, literature, math, science and social science. The theme this year was Our Changing Climate.

At the start of the competition students complete a series of tests in each subject area at their school site in April and then showcase their knowledge in the Super Quiz on May 10, which features questions from all five subject areas and requires students to work together in teams to answer as many questions as possible within the allotted time. 

Organized by the Merced County Office of Education, the Academic Pentathlon is an annual event designed to encourage and recognize academic excellence among students within the county. Materials are centered around a national theme provided by the United States Academic Decathlon.