Carmel Valley high school to participate in academic championship

Four local high schools — Coronado, Olympian, Carmel Valley’s Canyon Crest Academy and West Hills — will match wits in the 2012 San Diego County Academic League Championships next week at the County Office of Education.

The April 26 semi-final match-ups feature Central Division Champion Coronado High vs. South County Champion Olympian at 4 p.m., followed by North County Division Champion Canyon Crest vs. East County’s West Hills at 5 p.m. Both semi-finals and the final will be televised live on ITV Ch. 16

Winners of the semi-final matches will square-off at 7 p.m. to decide the 2012 San Diego County Academic League Champion. La Jolla High was the champ last year, and Rancho Bernardo High was the 2010 Champion.

The County Office of Education is located at 6401 Linda Vista Rd.

The Academic League format — toss-up questions, immediate answers, bonus questions for the team that gets toss-ups right — is among the most engaging and potentially exciting of all academic competitions. With a running clock, it’s not unusual for a game-winning answer to be delivered as the final buzzer sounds.

1997 San Diego County Teacher of the Year Mark Heinze will moderate the championship matches, and longtime local television journalist Clark Anthony will host the television productions.