Woodland Hills : Continuation Student Wins Decathlon Medal

Students at two Woodland Hills campuses have a lot to be proud of these days--teams from El Camino Real and Taft high schools took first and third place, respectively, in the citywide academic decathlon held last month.

Brandon Thomas, 16, a student at Miguel Leonis High School--a continuation campus for troubled teenagers in the same community--is also proud. He won a silver medal in the decathlon’s speech competition held at Carson High School.

“I was very excited to get the medal,” he said Monday, describing the honor as “tangible proof” of his abilities.

For Ed Soos, who helped coach this year’s two continuation-student teams, it was a sweet victory--he attended Leonis a few years ago himself and recently graduated from UC Berkeley.

“Any time we can sneak in there and get a medal, it’s a real boost for the whole team,” he said.

Soos noted that unlike other schools, which typically prepare for the annual event months in advance, the continuation teams had only eight weeks of practice.

“We focus on areas where they can be competitive,” he said.

At the decathlon, Thomas delivered a four-minute prepared speech as well as a two-minute address composed on the spot. And though he was surprised to win the silver, he said he hoped it would send a message that continuation students are just as capable as their peers.

“We just have a little bit of difficulty in dealing with a structured system,” he said diplomatically.

Leonis’ principal, Odus Caldwell, said Thomas’ achievement is especially noteworthy because many continuation students don’t participate in extracurricular activities.

“We’re proud of him,” he said.