(Media release from Floyd County Schools, GA):
The Armuchee High and Model High Academic Decathlon teams competed at the State competition on Saturday and had great success, as both teams will move on to compete in the National competition in April.
Armuchee High School was named the Page Academic Decathlon Division II State Runner-Up and had many top-three finishes in multiple divisions, including two state gold finishes in Kaili Wheeler and Logan Hunton. Model High School also showed a strong presence, with multiple top-three finishes, including a gold place finish in Luke Still.
“We are so proud of the hard work and dedication of this special group of students and look forward to competing in the national competition,” said AHS coach Melanie Floyd.
“Our team did an incredible job and encouraged one another to speak frankly about their individual passions,” added MHS coach Sarah Syverson. “Luke ((Still), gold place winner) is a gifted speaker, but don’t let the fact that he makes it look easy deceive you. From writing the speech to delivery, Luke has a disciplined method for his work. Team captain Walker Gallman is instrumental in gathering the team to practice speeches, and gives fantastic feedback. Luke took his team’s notes to heart while delivering a powerful speech from his own heart. I am so proud.”
Six teams from the state competition move on to compete in the USAD National Competition. The top three scoring teams in the state go to the in-person national competition in Pennsylvania, and the top three scoring teams in the state compete at the same time via the online competition. Armuchee High School won the small school bid to compete in the online national competition, and Model High School won the medium school bid to compete in the online national competition.
Two of the six national representatives in the national competition are from our very own Floyd County! Congratulations to all, and best of luck in April!
RESULTS, Armuchee:
- Kaili Wheeler: Scholastic Gold Essay, Bronze Literature, Silver Interview, Bronze Music
- Logan Hunton: Varsity Gold Essay, Bronze Music, Bronze Speech, Highest Varsity Individual Scorer*
- Isaac Tucker: Honors Silver Literature
- Benjamin Cranford: Honors Silver Speech
- William Pethel: Scholastic Bronze Interview
- Jared Weatherford: Varsity Bronze Art
RESULTS, Model:
- Luke Still: Varsity Gold Speech, Silver Interview
- Luke was featured in the Speech Showcase at the State Awards Banquet and delivered his inspirational “Bringing Awareness to Awareness: The Importance of Human Connections” speech to the crowd of 400 gathered.
- Walker Gallman (team captain): finished with one Silver and four Bronze medals in the Honors categories of Music, Art, Literature, Social Science and Essay)
- Ranked 5th in the entire state across all divisions.
- Sydney Godfrey: Scholastic Silver Speech
