The Academic Decathlon team was victorious in their second district tournament on October 30. The team placed first among rival schools Acalanes, Las Lomas, and host school Miramonte.
According to Co-captain Evelyn Steefel, the team won the most individual awards and ribbons. There are three divisions in the competition: Honors, Scholastic, and Varsity. Steefel said, “The Scholastic and Varsity teams performed especially well. They won the most medals and were the strongest divisions for ribbons and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places.”
The main topics for this competition were social science, history, and music.
Juniors Zach Scherer and Tristan Caro both think that the team can still improve. “We did well in each category, though our scores could have been better,” said Scherer. “The team seems like it’s going to be strong, but we have a ways to go. With a lot of last year’s seniors gone, we need to develop more of a team identity by having more team spirit,” said Caro.
“The goal for next tournament is to win and beat out the competition. If we win County, we will need to work toward qualifying at state,” said Steefel.
Currently, the team meets an hour after school on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as for 2 hours on Sundays. At the meetings, members learn material with Powerpoint presentations, quizzes, and review activities. Steefel said, “We plan to continue to meet three times a week to really max our knowledge of the material.”
Caro said, “We have a good time doing it. It’s not a completely serious environment; we have fun doing what we do.” Sherer said, “Our hope is that meetings will be more productive and that we have a better knowledge of the material.”
The next district tournament at the end of November will focus on economics, art, and superquiz, a cumulative test. The Contra Costa County tournament will take place in March.
