El Camino Real Charter High School Crowned Champs Of US Academic Decathlon

WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A Woodland Hills high school has been crowned champions of the 2014 U.S. Academic Decathlon.

The nine members of the winning team from El Camino Real Charter High School were greeted like rockstars at a pep rally on Thursday, reported KCAL9's Amy Johnson.

The students wore Hawaiian shirts in honor of the victory that took place in Honolulu.

"I love the support from our school. This is one of the few campuses…education here trumps athletics," Stephanie Franklin, the team's coach, said. "At most campuses, you don't get to see that. Here, the Academic Decathlon is what is the foundation of our school."

The team beat out 52 others in the two-day competition, which consisted of 10 different subjects.

"They have to switch from art to economics. Then they switch to literature. The math test is 35 questions in 30 minutes. And so these kids have to be able to turn on a dime from subject to subject, and they have to sustain the momentum and the physical endurance to take that many questions," Franklin said.

The team members were excited to see the support that everyone showed them.

"The entire school is there to support us," Rohan Boone said. "They care how we do at these competitions, and that really gave us the confidence and the drive that we needed."

"This experience is incredible. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," a team member said.