The Dulles High School Academic Decathlon Team was named 6A State Champions in the Large School category in February 2018. This marks the second consecutive year they have won the title. The team took home a total of 27 medals, including:
- First Place Overall - Samuel Louis Steinman-Friedman
- Second Place Overall - Leighton Nylander; and
- Fifth Place Overall - Moeez Tariq
The team also earned over $17,000 in scholarship money. At the competition, the team earned Dulles High School and Fort Bend Independent School District a record score of 52,114.4. This is the eighth highest score in the 35 year history of the Academic Decathlon in Texas. Individually, Samuel Louis Steinman-Friedman holds the 4th highest scholastic score in Texas history. This title brings Dulles High School to three total state titles. Dulles is still the only Fort Bend ISD team ever to win a Texas Academic Decathlon State Championship.
Coached by Andrew Hartman and Kelsey Halfen, the Decathlon Team consists of members: Sophie Yangyi, Jeffrey Zhang, Matthew Gabino, Samuel Steinman-Friedman, Vani Vellore, Moeez Tariq, Leighton Nylander, Tejas Tuppera, and Logan House.
More about the Academic Decathlon:
The US Academic Decathlon is a challenging academic competition. There are ten events including math, science, language, art, music, economics, social science, essay, speech and interview. Students are strongly encouraged to take the honors-level class during their junior and senior years to prepare for the competition.
The Dulles High School team competes at the district, regional, state and national level.
Successful decathletes win medals, earn a letter, and there are scholarships at the state level and beyond. The competition is one of the most prestigious accomplishments a student can have on their college application.
The Dulles class meets daily. Students in the class meet weekly after school and study on their own time. Summer and weekend meetings/practice also occur. The Academic Decathlon is open to any junior or senior from any academic background.