The Academic Decathlon team celebrated securing the championship for the medium sized division in the National Academic Decathlon tournament with a reception on May 15. The reception was held in the library, and 32 accolades were presented to the team.
Before presenting the awards, coach Paul Verbansky praised the team for it’s work ethic and positive attitude. “I was honored to be part of the California Academic Decathlon Advisory Board, and there were coaches and coordinators from all across the state there. When I walked in, they were giving me so many kudos, because it’s the first time a Northern California School has won Nationals,” said Verbansky. “The coaches were telling me you guys were so polite and kind. That made me feel very proud that I am a part of this.”
Awards were presented for each of the categories in which Campo placed, including Music, Mathematics, and Social Sciences. Verbansky’s wife, Stephanie Verbansky, helped present the medals to the students.
According to teammate Zach Scherer, each member of the team brought home an individual medal. “We all worked very hard for a lot of weeks and a lot of hours, and that was visible in the result,” he said.
Junior Christoph Steefel garnered the most medals, and scored the highest overall in the medium school division with 6,050 points. Steefel was also awarded $1,000 in scholarship awards. “I didn’t think we’d ever make it this far, but it became more of a reality as we kept qualifying,” said Steefel.
The Acadeca team also brought home a United States Academic Decathlon banner, which can be seen in the gym, according to Mr. Verbansky. Attendees of the reception included principal John Walker and vice principal Sharon Bartlet.
Senior and co-captain Laura Gustafson, a member of Acadeca since freshmen year, is glad to leave a legacy behind. “It’s really nice to know that we left Campo at a high point, and that we achieved as much as we possibly could,” Gustafson said.