The Lathrop High Academic Decathlon team has consistently been a Top-Three Super Quiz finisher countywide in recent years.

Part of the reason for that, according to advisor Michael Pangburn, is in the preparation, which includes the annual Brain Bowl.

Thirteen members from this year’s Academic Decathlon team – Pangburn mentioned other members of the team were involved in other activities that evening and were unable to attend – took on a group consisting of teachers and an administrator at the LHS Visual & Performing Arts building.

“The teachers won it for the second straight year,” said Pangburn (although students noted otherwise, saying they won it the previous year).

The competition consisted once again of two groups of three contestants – students on one side, teachers on the other – having a minute or so to tackle multiple-choice questions in subject areas in math, science, history, literature, geography, economics, music, art, and general trivia, etc.

An example of the latter was a sports question: Who pitched the first 100-mph fastball in Major League Baseball. The answer: Nolan Ryan (Cy Young, Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson were also among the choices).

The spirited competition went six rounds.

The Brain Bowl also mirrors this year’s Academic Decathlon theme, ‘The 1920s.’

Students read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which is a social commentary of the roaring ’20s.

Lathrop High will again play host to the San Joaquin County Office of Education event, which begins with the speech and interview portion on Friday, Jan. 23.

The Super Quiz is scheduled the following Saturday, Jan. 31.

Besides LHS, Manteca High, Sierra High, Weston Ranch High, and East Union High will be part of this year’s annual regional competition. “All five Manteca Unified (comprehensive high schools) will be represented,” said Pangburn.