Stanislaus County junior high school students are gearing up for the 12th Annual Stanislaus County Academic Pentathlon. Approximately 150 students are slated to participate in the one-day series of tests, speeches and essays. The public is invited to attend the culminating event, the Super Quiz and Awards Presentation, on Saturday, April 30 at Prescott Junior High School, 2243 West Rumble Road, Modesto. There is no charge for admission. The Super Quiz will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Awards Ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

Sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education, Omega Nu and the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County, the Pentathlon promotes scholastic achievement and interschool competition in academics. In the Pentathlon, seventh and eighth graders compete as individuals and as team members in Speech and in a series of five tests in subject areas including Mathematics, Fine Arts, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

Participating schools send a total of nine members to serve as the core team – three students, in each of three categories, based on grade point averages. Schools may send as many alternate team members as they choose. Categories include Honors, 3.75-4.00 GPA; Scholastic, 3.00-3.74 GPA; and Varsity, 0.00-2.99 GPA. Seven local junior high schools are participating in this year’s event including: Blaker-Kinser, Creekside, Hickman, Keyes Charter, La Loma, Oakdale and Prescott.