Granada Hills Charter High School wins fourth National 2015 Academic Decathlon

GRANADA HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Granada Hills Charter High School has some serious bragging rights after winning the National 2015 Academic Decathlon.

The victory marks the school's fourth win in the last five years. It's safe to say, these kids are smart. Their expertise spans math, science, social science, literature, speech, interview, essay, economics, art and music.

The team of eight beat out 46 teams from across the United States.

Senior Irene Lee was on the team last year when the team finished in second place.

"It's just so indescribable - the emotions that flood in and the memories," Lee said.

Another returning member Jasmin Kim said preparing for the intense competition was probably the hardest thing she's ever done.

"I originally thought my strong point was music because I've been trained in the classical piano since I was 5, but I think my strong point was, it happened to be speech at this competition. It took me completely by surprise," Kim said.

Team coach Matt Arnold said the takeaway from this experience will be the value of teamwork.

"The medals and trophies and everything is fantastic, but eventually those things are ultimately not the lasting lesson of decathlon," Arnold said.

Team member Tanthai Pongstein said his team became his second family.

"Just having them to support me no matter what happens is one of the greatest things I've ever felt, and I want to thank every single one of you for that," Pongstein said.

Several team members are now headed off to college. Lee has been accepted to Johns Hopkins University and Dartmouth College. She hopes to be accepted to Yale, where she is currently wait-listed.