The Academic Decathlon, or Acadec for short, is an annual academic competition hosted locally by the San Joaquin County Office of Education(S.J.C.O.E.) and nationally by the United States Academic Decathlon (U.S.A.D.).
Acadec is open to all Escalon High School students. In fact, our school’s team must be composed of students with GPA’s ranging from below 2.0 to above 4.0.
Participation
Time is used to research and study topics chosen by U.S.A.D. for all students across the United States. The topics change annually, but within the same categories:
- Literature
- History
- Economics
- Music
- Art
- Science
- Math
Between August and February the Acadec team studies in preparation to compete against the other high schools in San Joaquin County..
Commitment
Similar to athletics, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Students who participate are expected to study their assigned Acadec topics and represent Escalon High School with pride and spirit at the competitions.
The Acadec team has two levels: starters and alternates. Starters, like alternates, are expected to be familiar with the testing topics and will take a series of short multiple choice tests in order to demonstrate their accumulated knowledge. The nine starters perform prepared and impromptu speeches and are interviewed by a panel of judges.
Rewards
The rewards or participating in Acadec are the knowledge you gain and the fellowship you enjoy with your Acadec teammates. Participaton all has the added benefit of bolstering you college applications – admissions boards like to see Acadec in your application because it shows you like to learn and challenge yourself. In addition, Juniors and Seniors can participate in the Cal State Sacramento ACE program offered through S.J.C.O.E. and receive transferable units of college credit for participating in Academic Decathlon.
