Noah Jeon

AcDec members play a Kahoot during third period on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Academic Decathlon will compete in its first scrimmage of the season at Marcus High School on Oct. 5 starting at 9 a.m. The AcDec team has studied tirelessly to prepare for this moment. The event is the first step toward the road to state. 

The AcDec team plans to strive and go beyond what they accomplished last season. 

“This year’s team has the potential and drive to be successful,” AcDec co-coach Amber Counts said. “We have more returning members than ever before, so they have a good chance of being successful. They’re also just great people.”

Unlike last year, the team now has three students for each category, ensuring a full group. It’s important for an AcDec team to have various GPAs in order to compete well and balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. 

“I’ve become more open to meeting different kinds of people because all the people in AcDec come from different backgrounds,” senior study coordinator Julianna Narvaez said. “Not everyone has the same coursework or the same friends. You have to be more open to meeting new people and get more confident within yourself.”

As this is just a scrimmage and a start for the AcDec competition season, it is still important for members to be on top of their assignments and ensure they’re studying.

“This year’s team is studying way more than last year’s team in general,” senior team captain Parker Easter said. 

AcDec is an extracurricular that helps prepare students for the future. This year’s overall topic is climate change. The students not only compete and learn about new concepts, but additionally gain skills that will help them in the future with college and their careers, including speech and interview skills.

“This year’s topic is important to everyone; climate change is already affecting how people live,” Counts said. “Changes will only become more dramatic in the future.”