Angels Camp, CA…The Bret Harte Academic Decathlon team earned enough points to dethrone the Bears from their six-year run as Region Champions. “This year was a difficult theme,” stated Co-Coach Jennifer Truman. “But we have a strong group of hard-working and intelligent young ladies who were able to make their mark.” And make their mark they did wearing 37 medals back to the Pond. Led by six seniors, four of whom are veterans, the Bullfrogs out scored four other schools to take the Team Regional Trophy home.

This years theme for ACADEC was Africa and competitors were tested in eight different areas on this theme as well as two oral tests in speech and interview.

Bret Harte also qualified for a second year-in-a-row trip to the State competition March 23-25, by out scoring cross county rivals Mt. Oaks.

“Mt. Oaks is always a formidable competitor at this competition,” stated Truman. “Jessica likes a challenge.”

Senior Jessica Dominick led the Bullforgs and left all her competitors behind by scoring the most points overall and earning the Gold medal for the most points scored.

Joining Jessica in the lead were seniors Raen Kuykendall and Claudia Loomis who both earned 7 medals participating on the Varsity team for Bret Harte. All three girls took home three gold medals.

Also on the Honors medal stand with Dominick was senior Emily Buss who was wearing five medals at the end of the night including a Gold for Economics.

Novice competitors, seniors Kellie Krpan and Sierra Stephens made an impression on the judges and brought home four and five medals respectively in the Scholastic competition.

The Bullfrogs also brought home a handful of medals as Alternates as well including a Gold medal for Leah Cottrell for the highest scoring Alternate and two Gold medals for Ellie Tafjen in Science and Speech.

To earn the right to bring home the trophy Bret Harte out scored Calaveras County rival Mt. Oaks, Tuolumne County competitors Summerville and Tioga High Schools, and Mariposa County representative Mariposa High School.

“We will celebrate the next couple of days, but it will be back to the books before the end of the week,” said Truman. “As we found out last year, the competition, and the tests, just get tougher at the next level.”