North High “Scholar Bears” Celebrate Great Year of Academic Decathlon

Members of the North High Academic Decathlon team pose after being recognized at a recent School Board meeting.

Congratulations are in order for the North High School Academic Decathlon Team after its most successful year in more than a decade of competition. The way things are going at the school they may have to change their name from Polar Bears to Scholar Bears!

Led by coaches Archie Cook and Mark Schmidt, North led Des Moines schools and the rest of Central Iowa in state and national competitions.

The North team placed first in regional competition held at Drake University, edging out Johnston High for the second year in a row. North competed against 12 schools in Central Iowa in the large school category and came away with 35 individual awards. 

At the state competition, the team placed 5th and earned 15 medals, including eight for Julius Temble who placed third overall in the individual standings.               

The team earned the right to compete in the national online competition by achieving the highest score of medium-sized schools at the state level. They finished 7th nationally in that division with six individual medals.

National Medals 

Julius Tembe: 3 medals (1st in Super Quiz (social science); 2nd in art; 3rd in economics)

Cody McKeehan: 2 medals (1st in economics; 3rd in Super Quiz (social science))

Shad Corbin: 1 medal (3rd place in science)

State Medals

Julius Tembe: 8 medals (1st in art; 1st in Super Quiz (social science); 3rd in language and literature; 1st in science; 2nd in economics; 2nd in interview; 3rd place overall)

Cody McKeehan: 3 medals (3rd in essay; 2nd in language and literature; 2nd in Super Quiz (social science))

Shad Corbin: 2 medals (3rd in Super Quiz (social science); 3rd in interview)

Brian Schulze: 1 medal (2nd in essay)

Sasha Phillips: 1 medal (2nd in speech)

Trista Behrendsen: 1 medal (1st in speech)