The St. Pius X Academic Decathlon Team earned its 20th State Championship in February 2021 and the opportunity to represent New Mexico at the National Finals. The St. Pius X Team in April 2021 won 14 National Medals in individual events and a Third Place National finish in Division III, high schools with approximately 1000 students or fewer.

The 2020-2021 Saint Pius X Team was composed primarily of veteran members who have represented our school in Academic Decathlon in previous years along with one rookie member.  Veteran members included seniors  Ulban Aragon,  Danny Pham,  Trinity Aragon,  and  Monica Penn,  as well as juniors  Susanna Lanucara,  Sela Boswell,  Raphael  Lente,  and  Ella  Hooks.  Sophomore  Adam  Goodyear, first-time decathlete,  performed very well and earned a starting position on the team as well. 

The United States Academic Decathlon was founded with a purpose of developing well-rounded individuals with strong leadership qualities. The competition prepares students in 10 subject areas including art, music, literature, history, economics, math, science, essay writing, speech, and personal interview. Teams may be composed of up to nine total students, three each from high, medium, and lower GPA categories. This year’s topic of focus was the Cold War.  

HONORS  DIVISION

Susanna Lanucara 

National Gold Medal in Art

Gold Medal for Highest Overall Score among team members

Scholarship Winner for Overall Score

5th Place in Science,  7th Place in History

Sela Boswell

National Silver Medal in History

5th Place in Art

Adam Goodyear 

5th Place in Essay

7th Place in Mathematics

7th Place in Science

SCHOLASTIC  DIVISION

Raphael Lente

National Silver Medals in History and Essay

National Bronze Medal in Interview

7th Place in Speech

Danny Pham

National Bronze Medal in Science

4th Place, one question shy of the Bronze Medal, in both Math and History

Monica Penn

Scholarship Winner, Team MVP

VARSITY  DIVISION

Ulban Aragon

National Silver Medals in History, Science, and Art

National Bronze Medals in Economics and Interview

4th Place, one question shy of the Bronze Medal, in Literature

Ella Hooks

National Gold Medal in Interview

4th Place, one question shy of the Bronze Medal, in Art

5th Place in Literature

Trinity Aragon

National Silver Medal in Speech

6th Place in both Science and Mathematics