Student Events

Academic Decathlon

47th Annual Academic Decathlon

The Academic Decathlon is a program in which Stanislaus County high school students compete as individuals and as a team in a series of academic tests and demonstrations. Each team is made up of three students in each GPA category (Honor: 3.85 or higher, Scholastic: 3.50 – 3.84, Varsity: 3.49 or lower). A school may include an infinite number of students classified as alternate team members for an additional fee.

Academic Decathletes take multiple-choice tests in the subjects of Art, Economics, Music, Language & Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. In addition, decathletes give a planned speech, impromptu speech, participates in an interview, and writes an expository essay. The Super Quiz Relay, the final event, features questions from all of the above subject matters.

DATES: January 22, 2027 (Speech & Interview – SCOE, 1100 H Street, Modesto)
January 30, 2027 (Objective Tests, Super Quiz & Awards Ceremony)
Location: Johansen High, 641 Norseman Drive, Modesto

COST: $450 per team of nine students ($350 donated by the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County)
FINAL COST: $100 (additional $10 per alternate team members)

Event Information

Academic Decathlon School Registration (Deadline: November 1, 2026)
Super Quiz Proctor Registration (Deadline: December 2, 2026)

Volunteer Information

Speech/Interview Volunteer Registration

Academic Pentathlon

A young woman with long blonde hair is intently focused on writing in a notebook, surrounded by a dark background.

The Academic Pentathlon is an exciting one-day, five-event academic competition for 7th and 8th grade students. After weeks of academic coaching, team studying and individual preparation, Pentathletes gather on competition day to test their knowledge in Literature, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Speech and Fine Arts. The culminating event of the competition is the Super Quiz, which is the only event open to the public. Team members are brought together to compete in a battle of wits against other participating teams. It is an exciting and challenging event before a cheering crowd of parents, students and supporters. Each team is composed of a maximum of 18 students placed in categories based on their GPA. This team composition gives students the opportunity to develop skills for working with students of different ability levels, motivation and interests.

DATE: April 20, 2027

COST: $400.00 per team ($300.00 donated by the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County)
Final Cost (per team): $100.00

REGISTRATION:

School Registration (Deadline: January 22, 2027)
Super Quiz Proctor Registration Form (Deadline: March 5, 2027)

Apprenticeship Exposition

The Stanislaus County Office of Education, in partnership with Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, Stanislaus Area Manufacturing and Maintenance Joint Apprenticeship Program, and Modesto Junior College coordinates the Apprenticeship Exposition. The Apprenticeship Exposition allows high school juniors and seniors to learn more about apprenticeship programs in our area. Students will learn what an apprentice is, how to prepare and apply for an apprenticeship career while in high school and connect with apprenticeship coordinators and employers from multiple industries.

Students will experience interactive hands-on trade demonstrations. Representatives from electrical, plumbing, construction and manufacturing programs will be present to guide students with the hands-on activities as well as answer questions.

When: October 22, 2026

Contact:

Lamar Wallace, Director II, Career and Technical Education
Phone: (209) 238-1510
Email: lwallace @stancoe.org

Josie Gonzales, Event Planning Specialist II
Phone: (209) 238-1501
Email: jgonzales@stancoe.org

For more information, visit the Career Technical Education webpage

Destination Medicine

Destination Medicine is a one-day medical conference that informs and engages high school students who are interested in a career in medicine as to the value and importance of returning to Stanislaus County upon completing their professional education. The event offers information through lecture and hands-on experience in the following specialties:

EMT-CPR
Nursing
Laparoscopic Surgery
Urgent Care
Da Vinci Robot
Emergency Simulation Lab

Date: February 6, 2027 – 7:30 – 2 p.m.

Location: John B. Allard School, Ceres

Contact Information:

Josie Gonzales, Event Planning Specialist II
Phone: (209) 238-1501
Email: jgonzales@stancoe.org

Lamar Wallace, Director II, Career and Technical Education
Phone: (209) 238-1510
Email: lwallace @stancoe.org

For more information, visit the Career Technical Education webpage

Harold Pope Junior Relays

Stanislaus County students in middle school or junior high school may participate in the Harold Pope Junior Relays. It is held annually and includes field and track events for boys and girls. Junior relay medals are awarded for first through third place. Ribbons are awarded for fourth through sixth place. Participating schools must provide two or more trained volunteers to assist with the Junior Relays event.

DATE: May 8, 2027 TIME: 7:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Johansen High School, 641 Norseman Dr, Modesto

COST: 1-15 students $50.00 plus 2 or more volunteers
16+ students $100.00 plus 2 or more volunteers

Event Information

School Registration (Deadline: April 16, 2027)
Relays Record Holders

Order of Track Events: (7th grade girls, 7th grade boys, 8th grade girls, 8th grade boys)

Hurdles
400 Meter Relay
1600 Meter Run
400 Meter Dash
100 Meter Dash
800 Meter Run
200 Meter Dash
1600 Meter Relay

**Order of Field Events**
8:00 AM	Approx. 9:30 AM	Approx. 10:30 AM	Approx. 12:00 PM
7th Girls - Triple Jump	8th Girls - Triple Jump	7th Girls - Long Jump	8th Girls - Long Jump
7th Girls - Shot Put	8th Girls - Shot Put	7th Boys - Shot Put	8th Boys - Shot Put
7th Boys - Discus	8th Boys - Discus	7th Girls - Discus	8th Girls - Discus
7th Boys - Triple Jump	8th Boys - Triple Jump	7th Boys - Long Jump	8th Boys - Long Jump
7th & 8th Boys High Jump 4' 0"		7th & 8th Girls High Jump 3' 6"

Team Registration of Students – (Registration on Athletic.net closes Tuesday, May 4, 2027 at 11:59 p.m.)

NOTE: Students must be registered prior to the event in order to participate.
No walk-ons are allowed and no changes after the deadline.

History Day

Mock Trial

Mock Trial is an innovative and engaging civic education program that combines performance-based and law-related education for a tournament-style academic competition. High school students, working in teams under the guidance of a teacher and attorney coaches, analyze the facts of a hypothetical criminal court case, prepare trial strategy, and enact every role in the trial proceedings. The teams present their cases in real courtrooms before sitting judges and are scored by volunteer attorneys. The Mock Trial program also includes courtroom art and journalism contests. The program builds self-confidence and develops important life skills, including critical thinking, analytical reasoning, effective communication, and teamwork. Students gain knowledge of the link between our constitution and the substance of the law as applied by our courts and legal system. Additionally, they are given the unique opportunity to interact one-on-one with positive adult role models, including prominent legal practitioners, and develop career awareness of the legal profession.

Dates & Locations

Coach Meeting: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 4 – 5:30 p.m. (SCOE, Board Room 2^nd Floor)

Event: January 26, February 2, 4, 9, 2027 – 5:30 p.m. (Preliminary Rounds)

Thursday, February 11, 2027 (Championship and Awards)

COST: $450 per team ($350 donated by the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County) Final Cost: $100

Event Information

School Registration Form (Deadline: November 7, 2026)

Volunteer Information for Scoring Attorney & Presiding Judge

Volunteer Registration (must be of the legal profession)

Resources

Teach Democracy

Music Festival

The Stanislaus County Music Educators Association and Stanislaus County Office of Education co-sponsor the Junior High School and High School Music Festival. Outstanding guest conductors work with an auditioned honor band, honor orchestra, and a festival choir made up of students who are recommended by their high school and junior high school music teachers. Students rehearse the music together and learn new techniques. Each year, three junior high and three high school music teachers assume the role of group managers for this event led by a junior high and high school festival coordinator. The festival culminates with weekend performances from the Junior High and High School Choir, Orchestra, and Band.

Visit the homepage of Stanislaus County Music Educators Association

Honor Choir: Friday, January 29, 2027 – 7 p.m.

Honor Orchestra: Saturday, January 30, 2027 – 2 p.m.

Honor Band: Saturday, January 30, 2027 – 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Modesto Junior College Auditorium, 435 College Ave., Modesto

Contact:

Richard Winkler, SCMEA President
(209) 574-1738
President@stancmea.org

Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition

The Stanislaus County Occupational Olympics and Career Exposition promotes academic and occupational understanding in various career areas and recognizes students who excel in the mastery of skills and knowledge necessary for success within a given career.

The event includes competency-based competition leading to individual awards and a career exposition where various agencies, industries, and individuals representing a multitude of occupations are available to discuss careers with students on a one-to-one basis. The career exposition is often clustered in the following areas: Agriculture, Business, Home Economics, Industrial Technology/Engineering, Arts, Media and Entertainment, Health, and Public Service to enable students to focus on their chosen career(s).

Event Date: March 18, 2027, 8:30 - 2 p.m.

Location: Stanislaus County Fairgrounds – 900 N. Broadway, Turlock

Contact: Josie Gonzales Phone: (209) 238-1501 Email: jgonzales@stancoe.org

For more information, visit the Stanislaus County Office of Education Career Technical Education webpage.

Science Olympiad - Elementary

Elementary Science Olympiad is an exciting one-day, seventeen-event science competition for 4th through 6th grade students. After several weeks of coaching, team studying, team experimenting, and individual preparation, teams gather on competition day to test their knowledge and skills in Science. Each team is composed of a maximum of eighteen team members and each school can register up to two teams. This team composition gives students the opportunity to develop skills in teamwork, group and individual planning, and cooperation.

Each participating team must provide one event supervisor and one event assistant to coordinate and facilitate an event.

DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 24, 2027, 7:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Walnut Elementary, 4219 N. Walnut Road, Turlock

COST: $200 per team ($100 donated by the Education Foundation of Stanislaus Co.) Final Cost: $100

Event Information:

School Registration (Deadline: March 12, 2027)

Events:

Can Race
Catapult (GVA- Modesto)
Chopper Challenge (Fremont Open)
Codebusters (Walnut)
Crime Busters
Disease Detectives (Grayson)
Don't Bug Me (Hickman Charter)
Elements
Estimania (Stanislaus)
Knock Knock (Fremont Open)
Map Reading (Fair Oaks)
Mystery Architecture (Walnut)
Rock Hound (Julien)
Starry, Starry Night (Magnolia)
Straw Egg Drop (Hughes)
Weather or Not (Cloverland)
Write It/Do It (Stanislaus)

Volunteer Information

Volunteer Registration

Elementary Clarification

Submit a Rule Clarification (Closes: April 9, 2027)

Rules Clarification:

Science Olympiad - Regional

Science Olympiad is a nationwide competition devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education. Teams are composed of up to 15 students for Division B (middle school/junior high) and Division C (high school). The competition consists of a series of events which students prepare for during the year. These challenging and motivational events are balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology. Science Olympiad is designed to increase a student’s interest in STEM fields and provide recognition for outstanding achievement in team events. The top-scoring teams are eligible to compete in the Northern California State Science Olympiad in April. Each participating team must provide one event supervisor and one assistant to coordinate and facilitate an event.

Event Date: March 6, 2027

Location: Modesto Junior College – 2201 Blue Gum Avenue, Modesto

$275.00 per team (Includes $75 National Science Olympiad Fee)
- 175.00 (donated by Education Foundation of Stanislaus County)
$100.00 Final Cost

Event Information:

School Registration (Deadline: December 3, 2026)
Volunteer Registration

Resources:

Spelling Championship - Elementary

Each district may send their top spellers in grades 4-6 to the Stanislaus County Elementary Spelling Championship.

Number of participants allowed is based on district K – 8 enrollment as follows:

Up to 2,999 Enrollment: 4 Students
3,000-6,999 Enrollment: 6 Students
7,000-10,999 Enrollment: 8 Students
11,000 Enrollment: 10 Students

The top two spellers will represent Stanislaus County at the state competition in Stockton on April 24, 2027, and the Honorable Mention speller will serve as the alternate. Each participating school district provides a minimum of one proctor (for every two participants) to assist in conducting the event.

DATE & TIME: November 19, 2026, REGISTRATION: 5 p.m. (Championship begins promptly at 5:30 p.m.)

LOCATION: Petersen Event Center, 720 12^th Street, Modesto (click here for directions)

COST: $20 per student

Event Information

District/School Registration Form (Deadline: October 22, 2026)
Contestant/Proctor Registration Form (Deadline: November 5, 2026)

Elementary Study Word List

Spelling Championship Rules

STANISLAUS COUNTY SPELLING CHAMPIONSHIP RULES

1. The Elementary Championship is open to students from each district in Stanislaus County in grades 4 - 6 who have been certified as champions. The Junior High Championship is open to two students from each school in Stanislaus County in grades 7-8 who have been certified as champions.

2. This will be a WRITTEN competition, scored according to the procedures described below. Paper and pencils are provided for each student. No personal materials are allowed in the immediate competition area.

3. The Spelling Master will read a word, use it in a sentence, read it again, define the word, and read the word for the

final time. Contestants have 20 seconds from this point to PRINT the word on their answer sheet before a STOP signal is given.

4. Students may begin spelling the word at any time after the Spelling Master has signaled to begin. However, students must put their pencils down IMMEDIATELY when the STOP signal is given.

5. Students may correct spelling errors before the STOP signal. Corrections MUST be made in the following manner: Cross out the entire word, and rewrite it on the same line or thoroughly erase a letter or letters and clearly insert the correct letters.

6. Homonyms must be spelled according to the usage described in the sample sentence and the definition given.

7. After the STOP signal is given, the Spelling Master will read the word again, and the correct spelling of the word will be revealed.

8. The proctors will check the spelling by marking correct spellings with a plus (+) and incorrect spellings with a minus (-). Any spelling which cannot be READ by the proctor will be considered a misspelling. The student may NOT tell the proctor any letter or word.

9. It is the responsibility of the student or proctor to signal any discrepancies to the Judge immediately, before the next word is given. In such cases, the Judge(s) and Spelling Master, in consultation with the proctor and student, will make the final ruling. Spectators are not allowed to approach oﬃcials during the competition to report discrepancies.

10. Words used in the competition are chosen randomly prior to the competition from any sources deemed appropriate by the Spelling Master and Judges.

11. The Spelling Master and Judges are in complete charge of the contest. Their decision is final. No protest will be entertained after the contest has ended.

SCORING

All registered students participate in the Qualifying Round. The top 50% of spellers, based on their composite score in the Qualifying Round, move to the Competition Round. Spellers remain in the contest until they have misspelled three valid words in the Competition Round.

QUALIFYING ROUND: All registered students participate. Proctors keep a running total of the correctly spelled words. At the end of 30 minutes or 40 words (which ever comes first), the top 50% of the students, based on their composite score, will move to the Competition Round. All others join the audience and wait to receive their award at the end of the championship. All words for the Qualifying Round are chosen randomly from the oﬃcial Stanislaus County Word List.

COMPETITION ROUND: Top 50% of competitors from Qualifying Round participate. Scores from the Qualifying Round will NOT be carried forward. If the student spells the word correctly, the proctor will place a green card on the table. If one of the contestants remaining in the competition round spells the word correctly, it is considered a valid word. The green card is removed, once the word is deemed valid. A yellow card is placed on the table for a misspelled valid word. When a student misses a second valid word a second yellow card is placed on the table. When a student misses a third valid word the yellow cards are removed and replaced with one red card. The student will remain in the round, but no longer qualify as a finalist. Again, if the student spells the word correctly, the proctor will place a green card on the table but will remove the card once it is confirmed a valid word. Once a student misses three valid words a red card replaces the yellow cards. Words for the Competition Round are chosen randomly from any sources deemed appropriate by the Spelling Master and Judges.

When three students remain in the competition the first student to miss three words becomes the alternate for the state competition. The remaining two students represent Stanislaus County at the state competition.

TIES: Qualifying Round: If under the 50% rule, there is a tie for the minimum number of correct spellings allowed to move forward to the Competition Round, all tying students will move forward.

Elementary Contestant Welcome Letter

Stanislaus County Elementary Spelling Championship

Dear Championship Speller:

Congratulations and welcome to the Stanislaus County 2026-2027 Elementary Spelling Championship! Mark your calendar for the following:

Thursday, November 19, 2026
Martin G. Petersen Event Center – 720 12^th Street, Modesto
Registration begins at 5:00 p.m. - The event begins at 5:30 p.m.

Please be sure to arrive early enough to allow time for registration and for you to be seated at the start time. Attached with this letter are the rules and word list for you to prepare for the spelling championship. If you did not receive these items, please check with your school spelling coordinator.

Parking is available in the main SCOE parking lot. Parking entrances are on 12^th Street or 11^th Street. There is limited parking at the Petersen Event Center at the side and behind the building.

If you are unable to attend this event, please let your teacher know so that the alternate student can attend in your place. Due to limited audience seating space, please bring no more than two spectators.

Good luck and again, congratulations!

Cheryl Goulart
Program Manager
Student Events

Spelling Championship - Junior High

Each school may send their top two spellers in grades 7-8 to the Stanislaus County Junior High Spelling Championship. The top two spellers of the County Championship will represent Stanislaus County at the state competition in Stockton in April 24, 2027 and the Honorable Mention speller will serve as the alternate. Each participating school must provide a proctor(s) to assist in conducting the event.

DATE & TIME: December 10, 2026, 5:00 p.m., (Championship begins at 5:30 p.m.)

LOCATION: Petersen Event Center, 720 12^th Street, Modesto (click here for directions)

COST: $20 per student

Event Information

School Registration Form (Deadline: November 5, 2026)
Contestant/Proctor Registration Form (Due by November 19, 2026)

Junior High Study Word List