STUDENT EVENTS
Student Events
Merced County Seal of Biliteracy $250/$200 per district
Grades:
Date:
11-12
Sept. / Oct. / Nov.
Students in grades 11-12 will participate i interviews to demonstrate (reading, writin speaking) that they are proficient in Englis other language. A Seal is affixed to their d graduation to show that they are proficie language. CDE also provides a State Seal o or districts can apply for the State Seal se County Seal. The insignia form request fo completed in April.
Online Application: 5/30/23-9/1/23
School Verifications Due: 9/15/23
Target Essay Writing: 9/22/23
Essay Scoring: 10/4/23
Interviews: 10/24/23
Results: 11/6/23
Awards: 4/23/24 @ PHS
$25/student
Merced County Spelling Bee
Grades:
Date: Location: State:
Elem 4-6, Jr 7-8
December 5 & 6, 2023
MCOE Downtown Center
May 13, 2024
bit.ly/CAstatebee
Students in grades 4-8 face off in a public, written spelling competition Schools hold their own spelling bees and select students to attend the countywide championship The county champions (two per bee) have the opportunity compete in the CA State Spelling Bee.
Merced County Academic Decathlon $750/team
Grades:
Date: State:
9-12
December 2023 - February 2024
March 6 & March 21-24, 2024 academicdecathlon.org
Academic Decathlon is a countywide student event for grades 9 through 12. It is part of the United States Academic Decathlon competition. Schools field teams of up to nine members divided into Honors, Scholastic, and Varsity divisions based on student GPA. Students compete in a series of 10 academic tests and demonstrations, including art, economics, a written essay, an interview, language and literature, math, music, social science, science, speech, and a Super Quiz Awards are presented to teams and individuals and the winning team advances to the California Academic Decathlon. The Merced County Academic Decathlon is a non-profit organization. Three students from each team (highest scoring by division) will earn the Robert Wayne Scholarship provided by the Merced County Academic Decathlon and Merced Schools Employee Federal Credit Union.
State Scrimmage: TBD (Online/Optional)
MCAD Scrimmage: 12/2/23 (Online/Optional)
Online Essay: 12/7/23
Online Objective Testing: 1/30/24
Speech/Interview/SQ/Awards: 2/3/24
2023-2024 Theme: Technology and Humanity
Poetry Out Loud
Grades:
Date: Location:
State:
No Cost
9-12
January 27, 2024
MCOE Downtown Center
March 2024
capoetryoutloud.org
Poetry Out Loud inspires high school students to discover and appreciate poetry through a combination of memorization, performance, and competition. Students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and improve English fluency and comprehension.
Contact: nchandler@mcoe.org
Merced County Mock Trial $550/Team
Grades:
Date: Location: State:
9-12
January 23-24, 2024
MCOE Downtown Center
March 22-24, 2024
bit.ly/CAMockTrial
High school students learn about the content and processes of the law during the Mock Trial competition. Through role-playing, case study, and preparing strategies, and arguments for trial, students increase skills in public speaking, analytic ability, and team cooperation. Local attorneys serve as judges and advisors. Winners advance to the State Mock Trial Finals. The statewide case is provided by the Constitutional Rights Foundation
Merced County Writing Festival $50/school
Grades:
Date:
Preschool-12
Entries Due: March 1, 2024
Judging: March 11-15, 2024
Awards: May 6-10, 2024
Created by local teachers, the writing festival celebrates student writing in poetry and prose. At the beginning of the school year, teachers are given a handbook that lists more than 40 different categories. Students are taught the different types of writing and encouraged to participate in the Merced County Writing Festival. Awards are given to students by grade and category and a gold medal for the top two entries is awarded in each grade Each year, there are more than 3,000 entries with nearly 1,000 awards given to students All Gold, 1st Place, 2nd Place and 3rd Place entries are displayed in May.
Merced County History Day
Grades:
Date:
Location: State:
4-12
February 9-10, 2024
MCOE Downtown Center
April 18-21, 2024
nhdca.org
The event is an exciting, history-based competition. Teams (up to 5) or individuals in grades 4 through 12 learn about issues, ideas, people, and events in history and then illustrate what they have learned with creative and original productions in their chosen display category.
National History Day is coordinated with the National and California State History Days. Each year, a broad theme is selected at the national level to encompass local, state, American, and world history entries. The theme gives a central focus to the work of all participants. Quality of research and understanding of the theme are judged. The top competitors from each event, division, and county advance to National History Day in California, giving nearly 80 projects the opportunity to compete at the state level.
Categories: Poster (4-5 Only), Exhibit, Performance, Documentary, Podcast, or Website.
*Please see NHD-CA for Paper Category
Websites Close and Documentaries, and Podcasts Due: 1/29/24
2023-24 Theme: Turning Points in History
Merced County STEM Fair $50/entry
Grades:
Date: Location: State:
5-12
March 6, 2024
UC Merced
April 2024
csef.usc.edu
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Fair allows students, families, and community members to participate in a variety of STEM-related activities Students in grades 5-12 may participate in the Science and Engineering Fair portion of the event The top winners in this competition (grades 6-12) qualify for the California Science and Engineering Fair Featured speakers, informational booths and hands-on activities are available throughout the day. This event is hosted in partnership with UC Merced Research Week.
2023-24 Merced County Student Events
Merced County Academic Pentathlon $400/team + optional tests
Grades:
Date: Location:
4-12
Online Testing: April 16, 2024
Super Quiz/Awards: April 27, 2024
Merced Theatre
Academic Pentathlon is a countywide student event for grades 6 through 8. It is part of the United States Academic Pentathlon competition. All study guides and necessary materials are provided with team fees. Schools field teams of up to 12 members per grade divided into Honors, Scholastic, and Varsity divisions based on student GPA Students compete in a series of five academic tests and demonstrations, including fine art, literature, math, science, social science, and a Super Quiz. Awards are presented to teams and individuals.
2023-24 Theme: Technology and Humanity
Merced Symphony Association Children's Concert $3/seat
Grades:
Date: Location:
3-5 (4th recommended)
March 20 & 21- Merced/March 15 - Los Banos
Merced Theatre/Pacheco HS
The Merced Symphony Association presents an annual concert for 4th grade students where 3rd and 5th grade students may also attend. This is a concert performed by musicians with a wide variety of instruments represented. An interactive experience designed to introduce students to the world of music and also teach concert etiquette, history, among others, curriculum packets are distributed to participating schools in advance for lesson planning. Concerts are held in Merced and Los Banos to more than 3,000 students each year. In 2022, concerts were expanded into Dos Palos.
$50/festival
Merced County Speech Festival
Grades: Date: Location:
4-8
April 8-11, 2024
Awards: April 18, 2024
MCOE Downtown Center
The Merced County Speech Festival is for students in grades 4 through 8. The Elementary level is for students grades 4 and 5 and the Middle School level is for grades 6 through 8. The Speech Festival is part of a countywide program that starts at the school level to allow students to advance to the county level. Each school can send three students per grade to represent their site. Speeches must be the original work of the student each year and must follow from categories of Persuasive, Tall Tale, Legend or Fable, but can be about any topic.
UC Merced Opera for Children No Cost
Grades:
Date: Location:
Preschool-3
May 13-17 & 20-24, 2024
*Special Traveling Year
The UC Merced English and Arts Department produces an Opera annually for students in preschool through grade 3. The story set to well-known music always has a lesson intertwined in the fun The UC provides classroom curriculum to introduce students to the world of Opera that they can tie-in to their visit
No Cost
Father of the Year
Grades:
Date:
TK-12 Essays Due: April 15, 2024
The Merced County Father of the Year Essay Contest is designed to showcase the Father and Father Figures of Merced County in an essay written by their child. Students are asked to answer the prompt, "What my father or father figure means to me."
Updates
The information in this booklet was finalized August 30, 2023. Dates and/or locations are subject to change and will be posted at mcoe.org/StudentEvents.
MCOE will continue to follow all local health regulations when planning and considering inperson events.
District/School Responsibilities
Event specific information is mailed to district superintendents and site principals. If your school or district decides to participate in student events, you may be asked to:
Complete Intent, Registration Forms and other required paperwork on time
Provide payment and financial information to support the program
Provide volunteers to help with various aspects of the event.
Furnish judges for the event.
Provide a liaison with an e-mail address, who will act as event point person and share all correspondence with students, families and other teachers or staff at your site/district.
Share Opt-Out and Event Etiquette with your students and their parents. Prepare students using posted guidelines and rules of event.
Student Events Etiquette
Students should have FUN when competing. Teachers, parents, and students should demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times. Teacher may not prompt or coach students when competing virtually or in-person. Things may not always go the way you and your student/child hope or expect, but make the best of the situation. Please remember that your student/child takes behavior cues from you.
Talk to your student(s) about disappointment and set an example of how to be gracious in disappointing situations
Judging is a subjective process and judges’ decisions are final Judges volunteer their time to make student events possible. Please do not express concerns or complaints to the volunteer judges. If you have a complaint, please find or email the event coordinator to express your concerns.
We are guests at our event venues. Please be courteous and respect the property of others. Do not enter or leave a room during a presentation. Virtual competitions will be participants only.
Avoid unnecessary noise during a presentation.
Turn off all cell phones when in a competition room.
Ask permission of competitors before taking photos or videotaping them.
Diversity and Inclusion
MCOE Events encourages the participation of all Merced County students, regardless of race, religion, physical or mental abilities, economic status, gender, sexual orientation or other identities. MCOE strives to meet the needs of all students by:
Building a broad base of participation and involvement that mirrors the diversity of our county's communities and geographies. Hosting fair, accessible, and inclusive contests and seeking to remove barriers to participation. Celebrating and validating the cultures and experiences of our students.
Opt Out/Public Information
MCOE is proud to showcase events and students. To do this, MCOE Communications may submit press releases to local media (such as newspapers, television, and online news sites) that includes student names, work, photographs, and video/voice recordings In addition, this information may be published or displayed on the MCOE's website(s) and various social media channels. While the intent of this practice is to be informative and celebratory, concerns may arise regarding a student's right to privacy. To opt-out of any such releases, please complete the Media Release Non-Consent Form. It is available in English or Spanish at https://bit.ly/MCOEoptout, or by contacting the Student Events office.
Volunteer Opportunities
MCOE Student Events require a great deal of support from administrators, educators, parents, and community members. Volunteers are crucial to the success of these events as they serve various roles, such as judges, scorers, and monitors. To donate your time or talent, visit mcoe.org/StudentEvents or send an email to sarancibia@mcoe.org.
Sponsorships and In-Kind Donations
In order to keep costs low for schools and districts, MCOE partners with many generous sponsors either through MCOE or through one of our non-profit partners, The Merced County Education Foundation (MCEF) or The Merced County Academic Decathlon (MCAD). If you or your company are interested in supporting student events, please contact Students Events. Thank you to the many sponsors listed in this book or on the donor lists for MCEF and MCAD.
For more information, visit: mcoe.org/StudentEvents.
Sponsors Creating Experiences Outside the Classroom!
Superintendent’s Circle - $20,000+
Rob & Andrea Baptie ~ Tinetti Realty Group
Diamond - $10,000 - $19,999
Educational Employees Credit Union ~ Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.
Robert Haden & Betty Dawson ~ Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union
Platinum - $2,500 - $9,999
Lee and Ann Andersen ~ Create CA ~ Jim and Carlene Cunningham ~ Steve and Victoria Gomes
Los Banos Rotary Club ~ Los Banos Unified ~ John Magneson ~ Barry & Jeanne McAuley
Peck Planning & Development ~ PG&E Foundation ~ Rotary Club of Merced
SKW & Associates ~ The Stewart Family ~ Steve & Becky Tietjen ~ Nanette Waggoner
Gold - $1,000 - $2,499
Eric & Susan Conley/Gregg Alan Files Foundation Dust Bowl Brewing Company
Michele & Frank Fagundes Loren Gonella Tim Griffith Foundation Fred Honoré
Ellie Jorritsma ~ Merced Irrigation District ~ May Moua ~ Republic Services ~ Janet Riley
Robbins, Browning, Godwin & Marchini ~ Merco Credit Union ~ Shane Smith & Katrina Hoyer
Thiara Family Orchards ~ Sam & Dena Traina ~ Travis Credit Union ~ Christiane Traub
UC Merced ~ Osvaldo Verduzco ~ James & Janell White ~ Roger and Chi Chi Wood
Nancy and Don Young-Bergman
Silver - $500 - $999
Michele Arancibia Big Creek Lumber Don & Kenra Bragonier
Mike & Paulina Cuchna Raul Diaz El Capitan Hotel Great Spaces
Mark & Kim McAuley ~ Bruce & Martha Mosqueda ~ In Memory of Travis Parker
Phoenix Creative Collective ~ Nathan Quevedo ~ Scott & Denise Skidmore
Transcounty Title Company ~ United Way of Merced County ~ Russell & Carolyn Vara
Bronze - $250 - $499
Stacie Arancibia Robert & Michelle Bassett Tom Bates Lisa Benson Keith Chastain
Paul Creighton Kathleen Crookham Fluetsch & Busby Insurance Frances Gallegos
Hector & Kathleen Garibay Edgardo Gomez Grandma's Antiques David & Tracy Gravano
Adam Gray Nick & Jane Guerra Robert Hypes Image Masters Marie Janz
Merco Credit Union Merced Union High School District Antonio Ortiz
Paul & Heidi Raggio/Merced Fruit Barn ~ Shavon Roach ~ Rebecca Rodriguez
Janice Rogge ~ Martha Santos Velasquez ~ Sandra Stevens ~ Cristina Vara ~ Holly Zacharias
