This year’s AcDec regionals went well for our school! The team placed 8th overall, with three students placing third, and another one getting first place with a perfect score.

Academic Decathlon is a way for students to learn about a variety of topics and skills, and eventually put them to the test in regionals.

“I love the breadth of knowledge that we get to cover each year and the time I get to spend learning it with my friends,” said Connor Reed (12), who placed third.

The big highlight of the event was Elaina Hammond (12) placing first in the interview category.

“I think I did best in my category because throughout my interview it felt like a really natural and enjoyable conversation between myself and the judges,” Hammond stated.

Getting a perfect placement and score didn’t come without obstacles to overcome!

“The biggest challenge for me was memorizing my speech for sure, because I always tend to blank when I’m on the spot, but I overcame that by making an outline so I had a general idea of what I was talking about and could easily recover if I stumbled,” Hammond mentioned.

Preparing for the competition also required some hard work. Reed said that the biggest challenge he faced was “balancing it with all of my other responsibilities. Between school work and my involvement in the musical, it could be tough to find the time to study.”

Regionals have come to an end, and Hammond looks back on the competition as a fun experience.

“Regardless of how I placed within my category or if I didn’t place at all, I would’ve been satisfied leaving the room because in that moment it felt less like a scored interview and more of just getting to talk about my interests for 7 minutes,” Hammond concluded.