The school’s Academic Decathlon (Acadeca) team competed in their national competition May 1-3 in Des Moines, Iowa and brought home their 11th overall and third consecutive national title, breaking records and creating history for the school.
“Although the ten parts of the competition make Acadeca look intimidating, it really is a fun and challenging event,” senior Ashley Acosta said. “It has taught me a lot about teamwork and endurance.”
The competition includes a team of nine, separated into three divisions titled Honors, Scholastic and Varsity based on the student’s Grade Point Average (GPA). The competition includes three subjective categories with seven objective categories. There is also a “Super Quiz”, where the teams collaborate to answer multiple-choice questions in a shortened time.
“It’s tough staying for so many hours,” senior Yash Singhal said. “But being at the competition itself pays off when I can answer everything, and it’s really satisfying.”
The overarching theme for this year’s competition was “Our Changing Climate”, where each category was centered around climate change and its implications for current society.
“I wanted to represent our school at the highest level,” senior Darren Du said. “I wanted to give a meaningful legacy for [this team] and to make sure I would not be forgotten here.”
The win means a lot for not only the nationalists but also the school. No other school has ever won 11 championships or won 3 years in a row. The overall team score was 52,987.3 points, exemplifying the team’s prestige. Brendan Luna, the highest-scoring student in the nation, received Honors Gold. Some other nationalists the school is proud to mention are Yash Singhal who got Honors Bronze, Enoch Chan who got Scholastic Gold and Ashley Acosta who got Scholastic Bronze.
“You’re always going to have your off days, and you really spend a lot of time here,” senior Leanne Warren said. “So when you have that kind of connection with people and share every detail and every moment together, it’s just a really important part of making it through and to have that kind of support system to help you through [the competition].”
One of the biggest reasons for their success is the close relationship the members share. Teamwork plays a huge part in improving for competitions and they wouldn’t be able to accomplish as much as they have already without each other. Another important part of Acadeca were the studying methods and tactics they use. A majority of the team noted listening to music to help them focus. Their routines were very important when it came to absorbing as much information as possible during studying sessions.
“Anyone can be a national champion if they work hard enough, and that is what Acadeca has shown me,” Du said. “Just knowing I can reach the pinnacle of that through hard work and collaboration [makes a difference] for all of us.”
The experience was irreplaceable for the team as they were able to learn different skills that will be useful as they continue with future endeavors. Being an all-senior team, they are able to move on to the next phase of their life with an elevated skill-set that helps them adapt in different situations.
“Someone once called us a dynasty which is funny just because it’s so outlandish,” Warren said. “I just think it’s super awesome to be part of this and to be part of winning; to even have that title is so special, since it’s something that only eight other people and I are able to share.”
