LOS ANGELES (CNS) - For the third year in a row, Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra was announced today as the winner of the Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon, earning a trip to the state competition next month.
The nine-member team topped the field of competitors by scoring 43,333 points out of a possible 60,000. West High School in Torrance placed second, followed by Palos Verdes Peninsula High, Redondo Union High and San Gabriel High.
The theme of this year's competition is ``Water: A Most Essential Resource.''
Mark Keppel High's win advances the school automatically to the California Academic Decathlon, which will be held virtually in March. The county will also send an undetermined number of ``wild card'' teams to the state competition. Those competitors will be announced next week.
According to the county, 340 students from 35 high schools took part in the three-day competition.
``It was wonderful to join Mark Keppel's team virtually to announce their big win. These impressive students and their coach, Tin Tran, have done an incredible job both individually and as a team,'' Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo said in a statement. ``I am very proud of all the Los Angeles County decathletes and their coaches for their dedication and hard work in this year's competition.''