For an instant early Sunday morning, Secretary of State Gregg Amore got a chuckle from more than 240 students who traveled to Bryant University from as far away as Westerly to compete in the 42^nd annual Rhode Island Academic Decathlon.

Addressing the students, who sat nervously at tables, checking notes, quietly rehearsing their prepared speeches, chatting with teammates and munching doughnuts, muffins and chips, Amore congratulated them on their studies that go beyond the school curriculum and for their ambition to learn. He suggested that years from now they may find themselves on “Jeopardy!” That was followed by laughs.  Then it was down to business.

Before him were teams from 17 public, private and parochial schools that had found time outside school hours to read up on materials provided by the U.S. Academic Decathlon and engage in discussions and activities promoted by their coaches. Two schools, Warwick’s Toll Gate and Johnston Senior High fielded two teams each.

The Wheeler School, once a decathlon powerhouse that won the state competition year after year, regained the title for the first time since 2008, scoring more than 34,000 points. East Greenwich placed second with 32,195 points and Toll Gate Team 1 was third with almost 31,000 points. Wheeler will go on to represent the state in the nationals this spring in Des Moines, Iowa.

In the top 10 schools, Bishop Hendricken finished fifth, ahead of Cranston West, and Johnston was seventh. The Hendricken team finished second in the Super Quiz. North Kingstown was first.

Steve Belanger, a decathlon coach for 24 years first at Veterans Memorial High School before it closed, and then at Toll Gate, started the day thinking this could be his next-to-last decathlon before retiring. He had the team revved up. Their two tables were decorated and Belanger brought along student volunteers, distinguishable in their white shirts and black pants or skirts, to assist the team. He was giving team members fist bumps and high fives, telling them to kick butt and “win some money.”

The House Speaker has traditionally awarded senior gold medalists $500 scholarships in a State House reception honoring the state champs and senior gold medalists. This year’s reception will be held Thursday, May 22 in the State Room.

Psychological stamina

Nearly 10 hours later in Bello Center – following the Super Quiz, where students answer questions before their peers and an audience – Belanger and his team were just as charged up as they were in the morning. They weren’t alone, as students hooted, yelled and applauded as team members correctly answered questions, and with the same voltage cheered as their members were called up to have bronze, silver and gold medals draped from their necks as winners in each event were announced by Scott Fraser.

How does Belanger get kids to put in the extra hours and get so excited about academics?

“To pull off this year’s finish, I really focused on pushing the positivity and canceling the toxicity. I’ve been very fortunate to always have lots of players, two teams most years, once even three teams at Vets. I recruited well, as did the players, but the players know that they’re in it for more than just medals and scholarships. It’s been learning for the sake of learning, about speaking and communicating better for the sake of that,” he wrote in a text Monday after all the excitement had calmed down.

What makes the decathlon so inclusive is that teams are comprised of A, B and C grade-point average students. It can also make it challenging for coaches to recruit teams.

The academic decathlon’s roots

The academic decathlon was conceived by an American POW flyer captured by the Germans in World War II. After the war, Robert Peterson went on to become superintendent of Orange County schools in California, where he started the first academic decathlon in 1968. As it grew, he invited schools from across the country to the event. In April of 1983, Hendricken sent a team to the nationals, and their coaches’ enthusiasm for the competition sparked the formation of a group to hold a competition here. In November 1983, the first Rhode Island decathlon was held at the CCRI Knight Campus with more than 25 teams competing.

In its 42 years, the decathlon has changed significantly. Tests have gone paperless. Essays are written online, submitted and graded before the day of the competition. The first couple of Rhode Island competitions were spread over a week with one day for the event, days for scoring and another day for awards.

But it’s not all high tech.

The speech and interview events are often the most daunting for students who can’t bear being separated from their cellphones. Being on a team and winning a medal can boost confidence and bring change even for coaches.

Consider Belanger. 

“Going into this year I was considering stepping down after next year, my 25th as coach, and I even told Frank Lenox [state director] that, but this keeps me positive and productive, so I’m thinking strongly of just keeping going for a few more years, and maybe even until I retire,” he said.

Academic Decathlon Medalists

Cranston, Warwick and Johnston students winning medals in: (H, honors division; S, scholastic division and V, varsity division)

MATH: Jackson Kretzer, Hendricken, S, bronze; Joshua Holland, Hendricken, V, gold.

MUSIC: Alejandro Quintero Cashone, Hendricken, H, gold; Zachary Leone, Cranston West, H, gold.

SCIENCE: Breton Herman, Hendricken , V, bronze.

LITERATURE: Jaylene Le, Toll Gate 1, H, bronze; Rebecca Farias, Toll Gate 1, H, gold; Sam Girard, Toll Gate 1, V, silver.

ART: Neko Mahony, Johnston 2, S, bronze.

ECONOMICS: Briana Lazarte, Cranston East, V, silver; Brenton Herman, Hendricken, V, silver; Sam Girard, Toll Gate 1,V, bronze.

ESSAY: Bailey Hidalgo Stafford, Toll Gate 2, S, bronze; Harrison Hun, Toll Gate 1, V, bronze.

SPEECH: Rebecca Farias, Toll Gate 1, S, gold; Danica Weedon, Toll Gate 1, S, silver; Mona Imrane, Johnston 1, S, bronze; Marcel Johnson-Goncalves, Johnston 1, V,  gold; Harrison Hun, Toll Gate 1, V, bronze.

INTERVIEW: Hunter Schobel, Pilgrim, H, silver; Wesley Sanchez, Cranston East, S, gold; Rebecca Farias, Toll Gate 1, S, silver; Ariana Dandy, Johnston 2, S, bronze.