The Academic Decathalon team earned 12 medals at their competitions on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3. Veteran member, Will Hierholzer, ’07, earned ten of those medals plus the coaches award, raising his number of personal awards to 24 over three years.
With a total of six medals in his sophomore year and seven during his junior year, Hierholzer claims that two years of experience in AcaDec paid off in his final competition.
?Experience is why I did well this year,? Hierholzer said. ?I had covered the basic facts before, so I had a better knowledge of things like rhyme and I also know how to prepare and what to study.?
The campus team placed fourth in Division II this year with 31,296.6 points, with Hallmark Charter earning first with 40,543.1 points. However, Hierholzer had his best year as a competitor.
Hierholzer bagged an award in every subject this year. The seven gold medals included language and literature, social science, mathematics, economics, speech, and interview.
?The Social Science was very hard this year because the Chinese names were unfamiliar,? Hierholzer said. ?It can be hard to remember the difference between Deng Xiapring and Hu Yirhao.?
Hierholzer earned a silver medal in the essay category and three bronze awards for the music, art and Super Quiz sections.
?I was relieved because I was slightly nervous when I heard how well I did,? Hierholzer said. ?It?s never a sure thing in AcaDec and it felt good to know I was going out with a bang.”
According to his adviser, Molly Sargent, any student who receives even one medal is very difficult.
?It was Will?s third year in AcaDec and he knew what it takes to win a medal and he was willing to do it,? Sargent said. ?It also helps that he is naturally curious.?
Competetion motivates senior’s study habits
Over the months prior to the competition dates, members of the AcaDec increasesd study sessions. Hierholzer believes his success is due to a near photographic memory.
?My study method is that I just read,? Hierholzer said. ?My memory is close to photographic and if I read something twice I usually remember it. Highlighting the material is hard because it?s all college level reading, so it?s easy to highlight everything.?
While the many medals would certainly add incentive for Hierholzer to continue AcaDec, sheer pleasure led him to reenroll this year.
?I participate in AcaDec quite simply because I enjoy it,? Hierholzer said. ?It?s a challenge. It?s like sports for geeks. AcaDec is very enjoyable because it is relaxed. Sargent makes it interesting, but it is also valuable because of the skills not found in the classes. The essay helps with SATs, interview and speech are good for confidence.?
Math teacher Mike Fenton also provided weekly lunch study sessions to augment the AcaDec math material, while Michael Bryant, a senior economics major at University of California, Berkley, delivered a microeconomics seminar for the team in January.
“I wish I had studied even more, earlier in the year,” Hierholzer said. “There were several questions on the test I had read the night before; if I had studied harder, I could possibly have won it all. I am very happy with the success and it was definitely worth it.”
Due to Hierholzer’s total score of 7,309.9, he earned a $500 scholarship to aid next year?s college tuition. Over the past three years, Hierholzer has accumulated over $1600.
“It was a little sad for me, I actually enjoy AcaDec,” Hierholzer said, “and I knew it was the end for me. I went out with a bang, but only a few people from school showed up. After all the games I went to for my friends, I was sad they didn?t come to watch me do something.”
For the 11th straight time, Edison High won the Fresno County Academic Decathalon Competition with 45,122.2 points.
AcaDec gears up for 2008
Sargent is already preparing for next year when the curricular theme for 2007?2008 will be The Civil War. For example the Super Quiz Resource Guide will include readings on such topics as the causes of the war, critical battles and campaigns, the role of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln?s leadership and Reconstruction.
The art curriculum topic will be nineteenth-century American art, and will include the study of eighteen selected artworks. Those interested in science will focus on the transmission, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases of the era.
Read the announcements over the next two weeks for a meeting outlining next year’s opportunities.
For more information check out Jennifer Rose?s Dec. 11, 2006, article, AcaDec preps for Jan. 27 competition. Or click here on Suzanna Quiring’s Oct. 3, 2006, article, AcaDec studies Chinese culture.
