SHS Academic Decathlon Team Competes in Academic Decathlon Contest with On-Line Regionals
Launch the media gallery 1 playerThe SHS Academic Decathlon Team competed in their annual Academic Decathlon Regional contest at the SHS Media Center for the annual academic competition-with an all “on-line” testing competition on Monday, January 13th, 2020. This is the 22nd year that SHS has competed in the Academic Decathlon team contest. It is funded through the School District of Seward High Ability Learner Program (HAL) and the Seward Optimist Club. The Seward Optimist Club also donated matching tee shirts for each of the team members and the membership also furnished the test proctors for the on-line competition.
Schools that competed in the Medium School size division of Academic Decathlon included Seward, Omaha’s Daniel Gross High, York High, Lexington High and Alliance High. Members of the SHS Academic Decathlon Team for 2020 included Austin Dobrusky, Jarod Harris, David Clark, Douglas Weber, Dylan Brooks, Edward McConnell, Garrett Erickson, Madalyn Lobmeyer, Tanner Meggitt, Brennan Taylor.
Noelle Baker serves as the SHS Academic Decathlon coordinator/coach for 2020 and Seward Optimist Club members Clark Kolterman, Lana Urban and Monica Brum served as the team proctors for the on-line testing that day, with SHS Technology Director Craig Williams serving as the Quiz Master.
The students were given six tests online and had 30 minutes to complete each test. The tests included topics of Art, Literature, Music, Math, Economics and Science. The literature test featured questions on the novel Frankenstein: The 1818 Test by Mary Shelley, with the Introduction by Charlotte Gordan. The students all take the same test, however the team members on compete with student with the same Grade Point Average.
The conclusion of the Regional program will take place at the second part of the contest which will be held at Bellevue East High on Saturday, January 18th at 10 am with a Super Quiz Bowl competition, followed by an awards ceremony honoring the top three students in each category of the six “on-line” testing. The top two teams in each division will then be calculated and be invited to attend the State Contest in February.
The Academic Decathlon competition is a national academic competition, where three divisions of high school students compete in a series of tests, however, they only compete with students that have the same grade point averages. The program exists in all 50 states.