Academic Decathlon county competition set for Jan. 25
Academic Decathlon teacher Jorja Rule answers a student’s question.
January 22, 2014
In less than a week, members of Tracy High School’s Academic Decathlon team will compete in the county Academic Decathlon competition. The two-day event begins Jan. 25 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton and the competition wraps up on Feb. 1 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
Academic Decathlon is an after-school class that covers a total of ten subjects, including art, economics, and mathematics. Tracy High School’s team will compete against other local teams in San Joaquin County.
The team has a new coach, Jorja Rule, an English teacher who expressed her interest in engaging with kids as her motivation for coaching Academic Decathlon. Rule emphasized the critical thinking displayed by Academic Decathlon members.
“I like being with kids who can really think beyond the borders,” Rule said.
Students participating in Academic Decathlon were optimistic about the upcoming competition.
“I’m feeling hopeful,” said Miguel Rivera, a fourth-year Academic Decathlon participant. “I think we have a really good team this year.”
Team members have goals of scoring well enough to progress to the state Academic Decathlon competition.
“I hope to do well and help out the team as much as I can,” said Eashwar Mohan, a first-year Academic Decathlon participant. “I hope we make it to state.”
Rule’s goal for Academic Decathlon is simple.
“To win. That’s pretty much it,” Rule said. “Secondly, to have fun, but the first part is winning.”
Academic Decathlon involves an extra five hours of school a week, with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In addition to the in-school preparation, students also study outside of school.
“On the weekends I spend about two hours going over what we discussed that week and reviewing my own study materials,” Rivera said.
In the last few months, students have focused their efforts on preparing for the competition.
“I have been reading the guides, and I have been reading the cram kits,” Mohan said. “That’s been helpful.”
Another helpful resource for Academic Decathlon students is Demidec, a company that makes study materials based off of the United States Academic Decathlon reading guides. Demidec provides “cram kits” and practice quizzes, which students have been using in preparation for the competition.
“I have been reading the guides and making flashcards for myself based off of quizzes that we get from Demidec,” Rivera said.
One aspect that the team hopes to improve upon is the camaraderie amongst the team members.
“Honestly, I think the spirit could be better,” Mohan said. “For the most part, the starters at least have a good spirit.”
Students emphasized that participating in Academic Decathlon has enriched their lives through the broad basis of knowledge covered.
“It has definitely given me a lot more general knowledge, like knowing about Donatella,” Mohan said. “The Mona Lisa has a lot of artistic styles in it, such as sfumato.”
Out of all the information learned this year, Rivera easily recalled the most fascinating tidbit of information.
“Apparently, the machine that plays records is not a phonograph. It’s a gramophone,” Rivera said. “A phonograph plays wax cylinders, not records.”
Rule enthusiastically encourages students to join Academic Decathlon.
“Absolutely. It’s a way for students to really connect information across genres and a way for students to really challenge themselves,” Rule said. “It is an eager and interesting group. Bringing together all the strands of education into one tapestry is very satisfying.”
