The Academic Decathlon team will host this year’s district competition on Saturday, Dec. 13, marking an important step in determining which students will advance to region and state. With the theme centered on the 1920s, competitors have spent the semester preparing through study guides and cultural materials.
After making it to state for the past three years and taking a trip to the Alamo during March, both new and returning decathletes have worked hard in hope of continuing the streak. The goals include performing as well as possible in each of the 10 tested categories and achieving success in their other courses.
For president junior Adriel Camargo, the district meet serves as a crucial checkpoint. With events ranging from speeches to objective tests, Camargo emphasized the group’s strengths.
“The challenge for this team was studying because the 1920s isn’t as interesting a topic to some people,” Camargo said. “We have to listen to 1920s music, and the preparation comes straight from the guides. However, we have a really strong speaking and writing group. Even if the objectives with the multiple choice section will be a little bit harder, I think we got the speeches.”
To keep members motivated and ensure progress is made, Camargo initiated after school meetings for the past few weeks not only to study the material, but also to work on teambuilding skills.
“It’s less about the competition and more about what you learn,” Camargo said. “A lot of the support and motivation comes from teamwork. Taking those tests for a long period of time can be boring and to get around that, you need to work on your teamwork, making sure everybody is cohesive with one another, being nice and genuinely having fun.”
Senior Gabriel Paiz Chicas approaches the meet with a sense of optimism after watching his teammates’ progress. As study coordinator, Paiz Chicas focused on guiding the team through the material in a way that supports each member.
“Getting input from my fellow officers and teammates really does help tailor studying toward them so they can benefit the most,” Paiz Chicas said. “I know my teammates have been working really hard. I’m really excited to see that hard work translate into our competition and perhaps win even more medals.”
Through AcDec, Paiz Chicas gained a meaningful experience. The 1920s theme especially appealed to him due to the historical connections.
“I’ve learned how to deal with an overwhelming amount of workload,” Paiz Chicas said. “You have to read at least seven guides that are each around 100 pages long. [Despite this], I found the history behind it interesting. I’m a big history nerd so just learning about how both economics and music interact was really interesting.”
AcDec teacher Amber Counts has watched both new and returning members support one another throughout the season. She believes the organization gives students skills that will benefit them far beyond high school.
“By teaching others, their own knowledge is reinforced,” Counts said. “Decathletes work well together and cheer each other on, especially when tackling nerve-wracking activities like performing impromptu speeches. Students gain interview, speaking and other real-world soft skills. With A.I. changing the current and future workforce, experts are asserting the importance of these skills in addition to the ability to learn and adapt.”
Above all, Counts appreciates the dedication the team has shown. As the district competition approaches, she hopes the community recognizes the effort students have invested.
“This team has shown growth in all areas, from memorizing minutia about the 1920s to helping each other build a strong team. Academic Decathletes read and learn hundreds of extra pages in one semester. If all goes well, they will earn the chance to represent LHS at the state level of competition for the fourth year in a row.”
