EDITORIAL : MOORPARK'S BRAGGING RIGHTS.

TALK about a Cinderella story.

Moorpark High School's Academic Decathlon team gets the glass slipper for beating students from 38 other states last weekend to earn the U.S. Academic Decathlon title, giving Southern California its second national title in as many years.

The eight students - Arturo Barragan, Alexandra Dove, John Ellis, Valerie Lake, Nick Lange, Mitul Patel, Ari Shaw and Rebecca Wershba and their coaches Michelle Bergman and Larry Jones - deserve a trip to the ball. They should be honored by Gov. Gray Davis, who has made education a priority, with a trip to the state Capitol.

Not only did they win the state title earlier this year, besting rival and last year's national decathlon winner El Camino High School, but the team also racked up dozens of individual medals and scholarships.

Moorpark also was the overall team winner in Division 1 and overall Super Quiz winner, as well as Rookie of the Year.

Quite a coup for students who weren't given much of a chance to win even the state title.

The Ventura County students had to become experts in predetermined specialized topics in math, social studies, language and literature, art, music and economics, as well as give a speech and interview.

And that was in addition to their regular schoolwork.

Moorpark High has earned the bragging rights for the entire state. They should have their amazing and well-deserved achievement recognized by all of California's state lawmakers, who say education matters, and by the new governor, who has pushed for revitalization of the state's schools.

What better way for Davis to encourage learning than to reward and honor students who defy the odds and succeed at a national level?

Moorpark's Academic Decathlon team deserves recognition, and we salute them, their parents and their teachers for a job well done.