Acadeca wins third at regionals

After pacing  the speech-preparation halls (characterized by anxiety and white paint), freshman AcaDeca member Rhea Bhutada said she felt good — very good.

“All the underlying pressures literally shed off me by the end of the competition. All I felt afterwards was joy,” Bhutada said.

Bhutada — and the rest of the the Oak Park Academic Decathlon team — competed in a regional competition alongside schools from surrounding districts at Pacifica High School Feb. 4. The team placed third in Ventura County, first in “Super Quiz” and won 63 individual medals.

The first two teams were not far ahead. Out of 60,000 possible points, Oak Park scored 41,595.5, coming in with a 1.9-point difference behind Oxnard at 41,597.4. Calabasas collected first at 44,660.6.

“This is the closest it’s ever been, without a doubt,” math teacher and AcaDeca Coach Robin Midiri said. “Traditionally, Oxnard has always been the underdogs, but they really rocked it this year.”

For this year’s World War II theme, students from each school’s A and B teams were tested on seven subjects: literature, social science, mathematics, music, art, physical sciences and economics. Students were also interviewed and gave impromptu speeches in front of a judge panel. Bhutada said the latter was the most challenging portion of the team’s 13-hour day.

For the third consecutive year, the team won Super Quiz, a game-show-like portion in which teammates answer multiple-choice questions in front of an audience.

“The fact that they won the Super Quiz for the third time was kind of like the ketchup to their fries,” English teacher Jan Willis, who serves as AcaDeca’s assistant coach, said.

Senior and team captain Rutwik Tipireddy said that, after coming in at third place with head-to-head scores alongside Oxnard and Calabasas, Oak Park’s A team has been invited to compete at the state level in March.

“We are going in the right direction, both in terms of the school recognizing us more as a program that can bring back recognition, as well as us becoming a more competitive team not only in our county, but in the state,” Tipireddy said. “We are definitely in contention this year to be in the top 20 in California.”

The team draws on students from different academic skill levels to create space for what Midiri describes as “diversity embedded in the diversity embedded in the diversity.”

Sophomore and team member Claire Epstein said that in joining the team, she has been able to cultivate her public speaking skills.

“I originally joined AcaDeca with the intention of improving my social skills and my cultural knowledge,” Epstein said. “Speaking in front of crowds is one of the biggest aspects of AcaDeca that has impacted my life because, before I joined, I was too scared to speak in front of anybody.”

According to Bhutada, the knowledge acquired supplements that of a regular classroom.

“Acadeca teaches you skills that you really can’t get anywhere else, like time management, teamwork and how to take pressure and turn it into something positive,” Bhutada said.

Tipireddy said reaching out of their comfort zones and exploring a broadened subject range is what gives decathletes the “upper edge” when it comes to collegiate interviews and essays.

Junior and team member Vaishnavi Tipireddy said Academic Decathlon is more of an eye-opener than a stress-booster.

“A lot of people have this preconceived notion that in order to be in AcaDeca, you have to be able to learn so much information in a short amount of time. That is true, for a certain extent, but honestly, to be in AcaDeca you need an open mind and the willingness to do something,” Vaishnavi Tipireddy said.

Rutwik Tipireddy said that a cooperative attitude is what makes the team’s members successful at competitions.

“No one is working for their individual pursuits or medals, but they look at what areas they can improve upon to add to the team’s total,” Rutwik Tipireddy said. “I don’t think there is any other organization on campus that could be truly life changing, but this is.”