Stockdale High Builds on County Title with Strong Showing at State Academic Decathlon

Fresh off a county championship earlier this year, students from Stockdale High School continued their momentum on the state stage, earning multiple team and individual honors at the 2026 California Academic Decathlon. The competition, held March 19–21 in Santa Clara, brought together 55 teams and nearly 500 students from across California. Competing under this year’s theme, The Roaring 20s, students were tested across ten rigorous academic events, including subject exams, interviews, speeches, and essays.

Stockdale entered the state competition as Kern County’s top team after capturing the 46th Annual Kern County Academic Decathlon title in February, earning the prestigious Claude W. Richardson perpetual trophy and the right to represent the region at state.

The Academic Decathlon is one of the nation’s most demanding academic competitions, requiring months of preparation and collaboration among students of all achievement levels. Teams are made up of students competing across Honor, Scholastic, and Varsity divisions, emphasizing both individual excellence and team performance.

At the state competition, Stockdale placed third overall in Division 4 and added a second-place finish in the Super Quiz event. 

Individually, Stockdale students delivered standout performances across multiple disciplines.

Samuel Ding was named the school’s highest-scoring student, earning a gold medal, along with a bronze medal in Speech.

In Art, Niyaamat Chahal earned gold in the Scholastic division, while Seraphina Fordham (Scholastic) and Samantha Truong (Honor) each earned bronze medals.

Stockdale students also excelled in Interview and Speech events. In Varsity Interview, Brooklyn Weston earned silver and Macayla Magugat earned bronze. Weston went on to claim gold in Varsity Literature and silver in Varsity Speech, while Magugat added a bronze medal in Speech.

Additional honors included Japji Sawhney, who earned silver in Scholastic Literature, and Yushan (Alice) Guo, who received bronze in Honor Mathematics.