Quick look: Four middle school teams from Orange County will compete in the United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals in Nashville, Tennessee. This year\u2019s competition theme, \u201cThe Roaring Twenties,\u201d challenges students in grades six through eight across five academic subjects.<\/p>\n
Four middle school teams from Orange County are traveling to Nashville, Tennessee this week to compete in the United States Academic Pentathlon National Finals<\/a>, a scholastic competition that challenges students across multiple academic disciplines.<\/p>\n Representing Orange County are sixth-grade students from Gordon H. Beatty Middle School in the Buena Park School District; seventh- and eighth-grade teams from McGarvin Intermediate School in the Garden Grove Unified School District; and an eighth-grade team from Fairmont Schools\u2019 Historic Anaheim campus.<\/p>\n The Orange County Academic Pentathlon<\/a> competition also welcomed teams from outside the county, including the sixth-grade team from Grasslands Middle School in the Los Banos Unified School District and the seventh-grade team from Hosler Middle School in the Lynwood Unified School District, both of which also advanced to the national finals.<\/p>\n The teams earned national qualifying spots after ranking among the top-scoring teams in California within their respective grade divisions.<\/p>\n A multidisciplinary academic challenge<\/p>\n Each year, students in grades six through eight study an interdisciplinary curriculum centered around a common theme. This year\u2019s topic, \u201cThe Roaring Twenties,\u201d is explored through fine arts, literature, mathematics, science and social science.<\/p>\n The 2025-26 literature curriculum also includes the novel \u201cBorn to Fly: The First Women\u2019s Air Race Across America\u201d by Steve Sheinkin.<\/p>\n The national competition includes written tests, essays and the Super Quiz, a fast-paced team event held in person. Teams are composed of students from three grade-point average categories \u2014 Honor, Scholastic and Varsity \u2014 designed to provide opportunities for students across a range of academic achievement levels.<\/p>\n Locally, the Orange County Department of Education facilitates the regional Academic Pentathlon competition<\/a> through its Academic Events and Recognition Programs team.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Orange County competition was held from March 25 through May 2, with students completing essays and objective tests at their school sites before gathering in person for the Super Quiz and awards ceremonies at Savanna High School and Irvine High School.<\/p>\n More information about the United States Academic Pentathlon is available at usad.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n