A crowd gathered at Modoc High School to cheer on the Modoc Academic Decathlon team as it departed for the California State Academic Decathlon in Santa Clara.
Modoc High School met the district point requirement to qualify for the state competition with a team score of 32,375. The team competed in the state event March 19-22, 2026.
Team members are Jayden Main, Miles Murray, Kaitlin Nield, Ella Morris, Sierra Reeves, Nathaniel Schulz, Briauna Dearing, Seth Motheral and Stephanie Reeves.
The decathlon is an in-person team competition featuring seven multiple-choice exams, two performance events — speech and interview — an essay and the Super Quiz, a fast-paced team event. The competition allows students to develop teamwork and communication skills while representing their school.
Teams that win at the state level advance to the national finals. California has held the national title since 2003.
The Modoc team scored 26,604.6 points.
Kaitlin Nield led the team with 6,589.7 points. She earned a Division IV honors gold medal in literature and a bronze medal in social science. Ella Morris earned a Division IV scholastic silver medal in interview.
