Academic Decathlon, where students are given opportunities to proudly represent Emerson through answering a series of knowledge-based questions, kicked off the school year with a lot of preparation for the upcoming competition. In the process, students learn strategic study skills that help them memorize the information related to the chosen yearly theme, which is climate change.
One of the Academic Decathlon members, Sahana Narasimhan, 10, remembers her fondest memory from the 2023 regional high school Academic Decathlon competition. She recalls a light illuminating the podium, casting shadows across her face. Narasimhan heard the announcer present her first question, and the answer had immediately come to mind; a tiny fraction of the knowledge she had studied.
Although she was able to get the question correct and contribute to Emerson’s overall score, the team didn’t end up winning last year’s competition. However, during the national competition, some students were able to place first, second, and fourth in the individual contest, and the team is now studying harder than ever to reach the top.
Narasimhan treasures this memory and looks forward to the 2025 meet where she hopes to continue representing her school.
“I’m excited for the competitions, to prove what I’ve been practicing over the summer and also this year,” Narasimhan said.
She realizes that in order to enjoy herself at the event, preparation must be made ahead of time. The AcDec course material was released around May, allowing her to devote some of her summer time to the content. Now that school is back in session, Narasimhan meets with her peers to help each other learn the necessary information.
“We’ve been doing group studying [with a] new [method] this year … called stay and stray. Basically, we’re divided up into groups and we have to pretty much present which research guide [we’ve been] working on for a specific two-week period,” Narasimhan said.
This helps the team secure the information for long-term memory usage so they’re able to recall it at any period of time, as well as apply the information to other topics. However, no matter how much time the team puts into preparation, there will still be moments of anxiety.
“I’m kind of nervous about the competitions,” Narasimhan said. “It’s like you only have that one shot.”
Luckily, she is able to find methods to alleviate the stress, which allows her to keep a clear mind and a sharp focus.
“I’m kind of overcoming [my anxiety] by telling myself ‘It’s ok if you don’t do well, just try your best,’” Narasimhan said.
The team also receives assistance from their dedicated coaches, Kyle Wenokur, Jonathan Simpson, Meghan Lam and Melody Landrum. The coaches work together to provide an invaluable curriculum that serves as a foundation for the reading and learning processes and reading the club members do outside of the meetings.
“They provide a lot of motivation, especially because a lot of them are really cheerful and willing to help you with … speech topics and motivation for studying,” Narasimhan said. “Also … if you’re stuck on something, they help explain it to you, which is really helpful.”
Although it can be overwhelming, especially considering the additional time spent reviewing outside of normal school classes, she appreciates the benefits.
“[AcDec] helps a lot with memorization, which is important in a lot of school subjects. It also helps you because it builds good study methods, making sure you don’t procrastinate,” Narasimhan said.
Overall Academic Decathlon has been a wonderful experience for Narasimhan, giving her applicable study skills and opportunities for new relationships. One of her biggest takeaways is the ability to have ambition and set goals for herself. As Narasimhan likes to say, “Motivation is the key to success.”