The Academic Decathlon (AcaDec) team competed on Feb. 6 to finish the annual county competition, placing 5th in Division II with 28,118.9 total points and amassing 18 medals among the nine members.

For five months the team had studied the French Revolution, the 2010 curriculum theme, and practiced academic skills in preparation for the event, held at Clovis East.

First-year coaches Mike Fenton, math teacher, and Bessalee Mendoza, social studies teacher, directed the team throughout the year and felt satisfied with the result of the competition.

“I feel that we did well in terms of medals, even though we dropped in total points compared to last year,” Mendoza said. “I was extremely pleased with the overall performance.”

Last year the team scored a total of 30309.7 points and received nine medals.

However, the current team earned a total of 18 medals, which are awarded in bronze, silver and gold levels according to each student’s score. Fenton emphasizes the individual achievements of each student despite the lower total score.

“Even though our overall score isn’t what we wanted, we received 18 medals,” Fenton said. “I was very pleased with all the recognition we received. There were lots of individual pats on the back.”

The AcaDec competitions evaluate students in 10 categories, including art, economics and an interview. Each team is divided into three parts according to GPA- varsity for C averages, scholastic for Bs and honors for As- composing a maximum of nine members per team.

First-year participant Sarah Barnett, a senior and member of the honors group, achieved the highest score of the team with 5341.5 points. She also received two bronze medals at the event in economics and essay.

“It’s really satisfying having gone through the process because we worked really hard,” Barnett said. “I’m glad it’s over but I’m also glad that I got something out of it.”

In addition to medals and satisfaction, Barnett says she gained confidence in public speaking from her experience in AcaDec.

“The speech was the most challenging part of the competition because I get really nervous speaking in public,” Barnett said. “But I had to give the speech a bunch of times, so [AcaDec] made me more comfortable with speaking on front of people I don’t know.”

Another first-time member, junior Nigel Alcorn of the varsity group earned the most medals of his team. He garnered two golds in art and mathematics, and two silvers in economics and language/literature.

“After finishing my first year in AcaDec, I felt a great amount of relief,” Alcorn said. “I was also pretty surprised by the medals I won. I learned a lot, made new friends and had a rewarding experience.”

Senior Ellie Park, an exchange student from Korea, decided to participate in AcaDec despite the language barrier and other difficulties. She ended up receiving a bronze in mathematics and also developed other skills, she says.

“I quit AcaDec last year because it was so hard and no one really helped me, but [this year] Mr. Fenton and Mrs. Mendoza helped me and persuaded me to stay,” Park said. “I’m not very good in English, but I got improved a lot and studied various subjects in one class. It was such a great experience.”

Although studying and taking tests may not seem like a desirable elective for some, Fenton says that participating in AcaDec can build teamwork and develop other skills.

“Students who are not in sports can be part of a team through AcaDec,” Fenton said. “They can be pushed by other people and learn what’s it like when people depend on them. I think it is definitely worth everyone’s time.”

In addition to what the students gained from AcaDec, Mendoza says she benefitted from her involvement as a coach.

“It was definitely a new experience,” Mendoza said. “I really enjoyed it because we got to focus on a specific era of history and delve deeper into details than you could in the classroom.”

For more information on AcaDec, read the Dec. 16, 2009 article, AcaDec members prepare for competition or check out the Fresno County Academic Decathlon Web site. For more photos of the event, check out I survived!