Heritage High students are competing in the Academic Decathlon this month. (Photo by Emily Baierl)
After school at Heritage High School, Academic Decathlon students spread out packet after packet of material covering everything from economic theory to jazz-age literature. They are preparing for the 43rd annual Riverside County Academic Decathlon, a multi-day competition that tests students in seven subjects and evaluates them in essay, interview and speech rounds.
Coach Charles Adams calls it “the Olympics, just with your brain instead of muscle.”
Students meet twice a week for practice and also receive a required novel to read. This year it was “The Great Gatsby,” which ties into the competition’s theme, “The Roaring Twenties.”
Heritage students will compete virtually in testing and essays in mid-January before returning for the in-person Super Quiz and awards ceremony on Jan. 31 in Riverside. The Super Quiz, held in front of a live audience, is the competition’s most visible event and the only portion open to the public aside from the awards ceremony.
For Kenneth Davis, a senior competing for the third time, the decathlon was intimidating at first.
“I knew it was going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever taken on, especially because this is college level education and concepts,” he said. “The difficult part is probably the testing. There’s a lot of information. There’s seven subjects and each test have 50 questions. You’re not going to remember everything. You just do the best you can.”
Each test has a 30-minute time limit for the 50 questions, except math, which allows 35 minutes.
The challenge is different for decathlon newcomers, who have to learn not only the content, but also how to manage it all.
“It’s kind of like another class, even though it’s a club,” ninth grader Greyson Gonzalez said. “There’s a lot of information you have to remember and a lot of dates. We spend a lot of time going back through things.”
Abram Almanza, also a freshman, said the interview round is the most intimidating.
“I’m not a big speaker,” he said. “I know I’m going to have to practice. I’m trying to get better at talking in front of people, so this is helping.”
Senior Jonathon Paris joined the decathlon team after a history teacher encouraged him to try it. He said the science section plays to his strengths.
“This year it’s a lot about physics and the atomic level of atoms,” he said. “There’s gravity, the electric force, and all that.”
He said one skill he’s gained from participating in Academic Decathlon is learning to collaborate with fellow students. During their practices, the team reviews materials and works through the questions together. Most decathlon events are individual, but the competition still gives students opportunities to collaborate and support one another, especially during team activities like the Super Quiz.
Coach Adams said participating in the academic decathlon is about more than just earning high scores.
“Everyone wants to be smarter, but we want to make them a better person in the long run,” he said. “It’s not a subject that is the most difficult. It’s disciplining themselves to be better.”
For Davis, competing is about improvement and belonging, and that’s what draws him back each year.
“It felt good being part of a team,” he said. “It felt good getting a good score. I wanted to come back for more and keep feeling that energy. I’m actually pretty sad this is my last year… It’s a shame I can’t compete, but I plan on coming back eventually to help out or even judge.”
Adams also noted a bigger benefit to participating in competitions like decathlon.
“It’s been proven that students that participate more in subjects like this, as well as a mock trial, have a higher chance of getting into college,” he said.
At Heritage High, the decathlon isn’t just about the Roaring Twenties. It’s about pushing themselves and learning what they can handle. Big speeches and tough tests are all part of preparing for both the competition and life beyond the classroom.
Menifee residents interested in watching a live decathlon event can attend the Jan. 31 Super Quiz, which begins at 1 p.m., with the awards ceremony following at 4 p.m. Both events will take place at the Riverside County Office of Education Conference Center.
Heritage students prepare individually and as a team. (Photo by Emily Baierl)
