Academic Decathlon in Search of New Members
By: Michelle Ivette Rodriguez
After have a successful regional competition, Academic Decathlon sponsor Eduardo Malandris is in search of new members to complete next year’s team.
“Most of the team is graduating, so I have to start recruiting new team members,” Malandris said. He will “put out an announcement for (students) interested in joining.” He said that in order to have a full team, there needs to be nine members.
“(We) can compete with (fewer members), but (nine) is a full team.”
Academic Decathlon is a series of academic competition that tests a student’s knowledge in “math, science, literature, economics, essay writing, interview, and speech,” Malandris said.
Seven of the nine members of the current Academic Decathlon placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the regional competition.
“(When the students were preparing for the competition) the students (were) given reading and practicing material, plus a novel to read,” Malandris continued. He said the team “met once a week after school…to practice for (the) competition.”
“Ms. Shawn Mena was instrumental in preparing the students for the Speech and Interview parts of the 10 event competition,” he said of the studnets’ preparation.
All nine students competed in all 10 categories including a Super Quiz Relay, in which the current Academic Decathlon team placed third, a first for the team.
