Twelve high schools and more than 130 students will compete Sunday in the 39th annual Rhode Island Academic Decathlon, which for a first time will be hosted by Bryant University.

The in-person daylong competition covers ten subject areas including speech and interview that are judged by panels of volunteers.

More than 100 volunteers will have roles in staging the competition that concludes with a Super Quiz where student teams answer questions before an audience. The quiz is followed by an awards ceremony.

Nine member Decathlon teams are made up of students with grade point averages of A, B and C. Team members can win individual medals in each of the subject areas that make up the event. The team with the best overall score wins the competition and represents the state in the nationals. Schools with teams this year include returning state champs Bishop Hendricken, Classical, Cranston West, East Greenwich, Johnston, LaSalle, North Kingstown, North Providence, Pilgrim, South Kingstown, Toll Gate and Wheeler. Hendricken introduced the Decathlon to Rhode Island when the school was invited to compete in the spring of 1983 event that had been founded a couple of years earlier in California.

Several Hendricken students won medals that made headlines on their return to the Ocean State, igniting interest in conducting a state competition which happened in December 1983.

For a first time last March the competition was held remotely with the speech and interview segments conducted over

Zoom. The national competition was likewise held remotely as it will be this year.

“We are extremely grateful to Bryant stepping forward to host this year’s event. It wouldn’t be happening in person otherwise,” said Decathlon executive director Frank Lenox. Given the restrictions imposed by Covid-19 and the uncertainty of conditions at this time, CCRI where the competition has been held since was founded in 1983 could not commit last summer. Had restrictions not eased, the decathlon had the option of going remotely.

The Decathlon is generously supported by individual donors, State and House legislative grants and corporations including AT&T, Bally’s, Cox Communications, BankRI, BankNewport, Washington Trust, the Journal Charitable Foundation and the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority.

The Super Quiz and awards ceremony, starting at 4:15 p.m. this Sunday is open to the public.