The United States Academic Decathlon is one of the most prestigious competitions in the nation. Every year, somewhere around 500 schools in California alone compete for the ultimate trophy. This year, Casa Grande was one of those schools, competing at the regional tournament in Solano on Saturday, Jan. 31, alongside other teams such as M.I.T. Academy High School and Campolindo High School.
Armed with nine total competitors and enough snacks to feed a small army, the Gauchos entered the competition ready to do their best. Students Czyreen Angel Borces (11th), Ojasvi Chaudhari (11th), Casey Davison (11th), June Duncan (11th), Chloe Herdman (11th), Logan Jackson (11th), Chase Kuykendall (11th), Aanchal Kumari (10th), and Aaron Vasquez Villa (11th) all competed in three events: the Interview and Speech — scattered throughout a four hour period — and the Super Quiz, the final and most important event of the day.
The Interview consisted of students answering questions asked by two parent volunteers in a seven minute time slot, before they were graded on their personability, enthusiasm, and of course the content of their responses.
The Speech was a two-part event, first a three-and-a-half to four minute prepared speech on any topic imaginable. Gaucho topics ranged from the Importance of Civic Engagement, by Herdman, to the Significance of My Little Pony Cutie Marks, by Chaudhari. After that, students had a short time to read the prompts for an impromptu topic, which they had to speak on for a one-and-a-half to two minutes. It was definitely nerve wracking for some, but no real sweat for our competitors.
Unfortunately, due to an inability to properly fill the lowest bracket based on GPA, the Gauchos were unable to officially compete in the Super Quiz at the end of the day. However, they rearranged their team members to be able to compete informally in order to gain practice for the next year.
In the Super Quiz, the three brackets compete separately to answer 14 questions each. There are two from each of the seven subjects that students study throughout the year, which include Art, Economics, Literature, Math, Music, Science, and Social Science. The Varsity bracket, made up of Angel Borces, Duncan, and Jackson, scored five points, the same as the Scholastic group made up of Davison, Kumari, and Vasquez Villa. The Honors, top bracket, made up of Chaudhari, Herdman, and Kuykendall got a whopping eight out of 14 points.
Although the team was unable to officially compete in a way that would allow them to move on to the next level of competition, they collected a total of 20 medals from the Interviews, Speeches, and prior testing in each subject – 10 bronze, four silver, and six gold.
Vice President Ojasvi Chaudhari says, “When you go out to Regionals, it’s really fun. It’s a really cool day.”
And it certainly was.
All Casa Grande students should absolutely consider joining Academic Decathlon to show their skills as some of the best and brightest students in the nation. President Chase Kuykendall says, “students… interested in becoming part of a thriving community of learners that help each other grow” would be an amazing fit. Plus, “it looks great on college resumes!”
So, if you’re interested in joining a powerful team looking to go all the way to national-level competition, consider joining Academic Decathlon. There are no requirements, no demands of a certain GPA or requirements of AP classes. Simply reach out to Kuykendall ([email protected]) or the club advisor, Stacey Maderious ([email protected]), for more information.
Our decathletes look forward to seeing you there!
