[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6972]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     IN TRIBUTE TO SIMI VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC DECATHLON TEAM

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2000

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Simi Valley 
High School Academic Decathlon Team--champions this year in Ventura 
County and the State of California, and silver medalists in the 
national competition.
  After winning the Ventura County and State of California titles, the 
Simi Valley team last month traveled to San Antonio, Texas, for the 
U.S. Academic Decathlon competition, competing against 37 other schools 
from across the United States. The rivalry was fierce. Simi Valley lost 
to the team from Katy, Texas, by a mere 460 points. Each team scored 
more than 52,000 points in the match-up.
  The nine-student Simi Valley High School team is representative of 
the best and brightest our country has to offer. They have been 
accepted to such universities as Harvard and Stanford. Seniors David 
Bartlett, Steve Mihalovitz, Cary Opal, Jeff Robertson, Jennifer Tran, 
Michael Truex, Justin Underhill and Randy Xu, and junior Kevin White, 
are truly America's future leaders. Their coaches, Ken and Sally 
Hibbitts, are dedicated educators who deserve equal praise for a 
phenomenal job of preparing their students.
  Last year, Moorpark High School became the first Ventura County team 
to win the national title. By winning the silver medal this year, Simi 
Valley High School has proven that Ventura County is an educational 
powerhouse. They have also proven that Ventura County students and 
teachers have the dedication and perseverance to be the best they can 
possibly be. It takes months of studying from early morning to late at 
night to prepare for these competitions. Jobs, friends and family are 
place on the back burner.
  If they had won no medals, their dedication to a common goal alone 
would have made them champions.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating the 
National Silver Medalists, California State Champion and Ventura County 
Champion Simi Valley High School Academic Decathlon Team for its 
impressive wins, and in wishing team members great success in their 
future endeavors.

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