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SHSID Students Triumphed in the USAD

May 13, 2016

SHSID Students Triumphed in the USAD

April 26th, 2016, 10 students (a team and an individual), led by Ms. Ye Zhen and Director Liu Qin, boarded the airplane en route to Anchorage, Alaska, where the USAD (United States Academic Decathlon) National Finals was held.

The Academic Decathlon boasts over 48 years of history, and is one of the most prestigious and renowned academic competitions in the United States.

A USAD team is made up of 6 to 9 students, consisting of Varsity C, Scholastic B, and Honor A students. During the course of several months of immense preparation, the students had to go over 10 subjects, in the fields of Social Science, Science, Economics, Mathematics, Literature, Art, Music, Speech, Writing, and Interview, which encompassed the 2016 theme of “India”.

This pioneering team was the 1st in the history of SHSID to participate in this competition. Most of the teams in the National Finals were composed of juniors and seniors, but this did not hinder the SHSID team, consisting of only freshmen and sophomores, to attain unexpected results. Andrew Tu from 9 (10) received a bronze medal for science and mathematics; James Zhang, 10(3), received a bronze medal for economics; Franco Mo, also from 10 (3), received a bronze medal for music; Koki Ajiri, 10(3), received a gold medal for social science. In total, the team received a total of 5 medals.

USAD is a competition that strengthens students’ knowledge through a broad scope and promotes the importance of teamwork. Not only did USAD construct a solid friendship among the teammates, it also pushed the students out of the comfort zone by inspiring students to master subjects they had never engaged in before. In addition, the contest gave an opportunity for students to meet competitors from all states of the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.

A Varsity student in the team, Andrew Tu, claims, “The Academic Decathlon is life-changing. It is a rewarding, 6-month long marathon that will bestow you things that you never expected in life. New friends, new study methods… and best of all—a new attitude towards learning!”

The students gained life-changing experiences from the competition, they realized that hard work eventually pays off, forged strong bonds with teammates and developed strong interpersonal communication skills. The quest for knowledge in the Academic Decathlon became an indelible memory for the team.

（Written by SHSID Decathlon Team Picture by Ye Zhen）