ACADEMIC DYNASTIES; ALEMANY DECATHLETES READY TO DEFEND CROWN.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer MISSION HILLS - Alemany High School student Drew Cowens stood before his Academic Decathlon decathlon (dĭkăth`lŏn), in modern Olympic games, a contest for men held over two days and composed of 10 track-and-field events. teammates Friday, about to launch into a speech on organ donation Organ donation is the removal of the tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting or grafting them into other persons. and human cloning Although genes are recognized as influencing behavior and cognition, "genetically identical" does not mean altogether identical; identical twins, despite being natural human clones with near identical DNA, are separate people, with separate experiences and not altogether . But before he could even start, team coach Janie Prucha asked Cowens about a reworked conclusion - a change the 16-year-old described as better ``but still not perfect.'' ``Even if it's not perfect, you have to say it is,'' Prucha told him, trying to boost his confidence. ``I forgot,'' Cowens replied quickly. ``It's the best speech I've ever written.'' The exchange was a critical practice session for Cowens, coming one day before his school seeks to defend its four-time Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, private school championship, which it also hosts today. After months of preparation and hours of studying each night, Alemany's team members have put away their fears and feel primed and ready to take on challengers seeking to knock them off their throne. ``I have a feeling they're going to score very, very high,'' Prucha said. Today's private school competition features 18 schools from San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. to Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. who will vie for a shot at the state finals held in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. this March. The Academic Decathlon is a series of 10 grueling exams that test students' knowledge of math, history, economics and other scholastic disciplines as well as their ability to deliver timed speeches and field interview questions. Alemany has been such a powerhouse, with St. Francis High School in La Canada Flintridge a close second, that rivals said their own chances of winning the private schools' regional competition are slim. ``I think we've got a good chance for some individual medals,'' said James E. Teague, coach of the Los Angeles Baptist High School Los Angeles Baptist High School is a Christian, independent, coeducational day school located in Sepulveda, California with approximately 962 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12. team in North Hills. ``I don't think we'll beat Alemany or St. Francis in the division we're in, for private schools. They just have a really huge, strong team.'' Alemany's team members have been preparing for this year's competition since June, when they took classes during the summer. Now they meet nearly every day after school for several hours to prepare. On Friday, the team was excused from regular classes to prepare for the event. Team members practiced speeches and played a Jeopardy-like game to hone their skills. Since team members have to be at Alemany at 7 a.m. today, Prucha sent them home early on Friday, telling them to get a good night's rest. As if that were possible. ``It's like little kids on Christmas Day,'' said senior Melissa Cortina cor`ti´na n. 1. (Biology) a cobwebby remnant of the partial veil which in some mature mushrooms hang from the edges of the cap. Noun 1. , 17, describing her nervousness and excitement. ``They can't sleep on Christmas Eve, and they wake up early. It's kind of like that.'' Alemany's Academic Decathlon team will have a lot of company at today's event. Fellow students will be rooting for the home team - but not just out of pride. ``Last year, we (the entire school) got a day off when we won,'' team member Tim Whelan said. ``So people expect us to win so we can get another day off.'' |
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