FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – There is serious studying in this one classroom and students are preparing for something they have never done before: competing in the Fresno County Academic Decathlon.
Among them is Nadia, a student at Hallmark Academy in Sanger. It is an online school for students who are being homeschooled. Well-known coach Angela Ballew stepped away to raise her children, and now she’s back and ready to compete.
“I felt like jumping in with a brand new team,” said Ballew. “This subject, the American Revolution, was something they had some background in. It was approachable.”
She built her team of 12, the majority of them seniors. They started studying last March and meet every day to prepare. But this is a rookie team and when they saw that thousand-page binder of study material it was a bit overwhelming
The students say they just want to work as a team and do their best.
When they walked onto the floor at sunnyside high, the crowd the atmosphere did not disappoint. There were 26 teams participating this year – Hallmark Academy was the only online homeschool and was going up against some of the top teams. They scored big, taking second place overall beating out Clovis North and Sanger High. University High once again took top honors.