While we are all becoming increasingly tired of computer screens, of being constantly online, and are looking forward to the times when teaching and learning will take place in person again, the last week of January provided us with a rare and wonderful “virtual” experience. From January 25th to the 29th, hundreds of LAUSD Decathletes competed in the first LAUSD Beyond the Bell Academic Decathlon Virtual Speech and Interview Competition.
Forty-eight LAUSD Decathlon teams were randomly scheduled to meet with their assigned three-judge panels via Zoom after school throughout the week of competition. In addition to the communication skills and best practices that apply to reciting speeches and having in-person interviews, Decathletes faced the new challenges that come with participating in virtual scholastic competitions. Students not only had to test their equipment but also prepare their screenshots by choosing a background, a sitting or standing position, and adjusting their lighting and framing. The Decathlete’s extra hard work undoubtedly paid off as we consider some of the judges’ comments from the speech and interview evaluation forms:
- The student’s speech was literally about how he has worked on overcoming his shyness, and I wanted to tell him how proud I was of him competing!
- I loved the very specific recommendations for finding the positive in the pandemic and coping with the negative.
- Great interview, shy at first but then she just shined!
- Student exudes optimism through her articulate conversational skills.
Thank you to the more than 350 Decathletes who took part in the Speech and Interview events. Thank you to the coaches for helping Decathletes adjust to the new virtual reality. Thank you to the Beyond the Bell staff for managing over 750 speech and interview appointments. Finally, thank you to the sixty-eight volunteers that spent more than 270 combined days, or a total of 685 hours, judging LAUSD Decathletes.
Visit the LAUSD Academic Decathlon Twitter @lausdacadeca and Instagram @lausdacadeca accounts to find pictures of Friday’s concluding competition day and stay up to date with the latest news.
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Untitled: Kazuo Shiraga, 1957. Watercolor, India ink, and oil and paper mounted on canvas |
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USAD KRISTIN CAPERTON INSPIRATION AWARD |
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Created by the United States Academic Decathlon Board of Directors, this award honors Kristin Caperton, a Founding Board member, who demonstrated dedication and commitment to Academic Decathlon while facing adversity in her personal life. This award is presented to a student in any level of the competition who best exemplifies the characteristics of courage, determination, and dedication, or who overcame significant obstacles that made their participation in the program noteworthy. Schools must apply to qualify. For additional information, and to download the nomination form, please click HERE. Due date is March 31, 2021.
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As LAUSD Decathletes are wrapping up their participation in the 2020-21 regional competition, and the top scoring teams continue to prepare to move on to the State tournament, Pentathlon students have been preparing for their own competition, beginning with the Scrimmage on February 27.
Unlike Decathletes, LAUSD Pentathlon students have already had experience with a virtual scholastic competition. Last year, Pentathletes were in the midst of their competition when the pandemic forced school closures and led to distance learning. Pentathlon students did not give up, kept working hard, and successfully adjusted to the online competition. For this month’s spotlight, we asked Coach Shauna Segal’s students from Burroughs Middle School to provide some insight to their virtual Pentathlon experience.
Interesting, exhilarating, invigorating, beneficial, educational, teamwork, adventurous, competitive, amazing, challenging, were some of the terms mentioned by Ms. Segal’s students when asked to describe Pentathlon in one word. These descriptors are no doubt an indication that to Burroughs MS Pentathletes, this program is much more than about learning new curriculum.
Obianuju Oyeoka, an 8th grade Honors student, shared that she has learned she must persevere, but also remember to take care of herself and take breaks. Like Obianuju, many students have had to also learn how to deal with the various interruptions that come from their schooling at home. As Obianuju states, “it is easy to be distracted at home.” No longer learning in a controlled environment such as a classroom, students are deciphering new ways to motivate themselves and figure out what works best for them.
While a virtual Pentathlon competition has social interaction limitations, students are continuing to see the bright side of it. Emmanuel Ramirez-Recinos, a 7th grade Varsity student, says his favorite part of the competition is meeting people who are just as competitive. He also goes on to state, “I also found this as a good opportunity to make new friends who are interested in these kinds of things like I am, it’s been hard making new friends because of COVID.”
As Pentathlon heads into its second virtual competition, students remain resilient and determined to compete at the best of their ability. The hope is that the lessons students are learning about themselves will not only help in school but can ultimately benefit them in the future.
Every month, the Spotlight section will highlight an administrator, coach, student, sponsor, or volunteer who has made an impact on our program. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit their name to academic.decathlon@lausd.net with a short description as to why they should be featured.
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Global Groove: Nam June Paik and John Godfrey, 1973. Still frame from video recording; The artist Ana Mendieta, photographed in 1984 with an untitled wood sculpture |
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Congratulations to the winners of the first LAUSD Academic Decathlon challenge. Winning students have been notified and have had their prize money sent to them. Gold winners received $200, silver $150, and bronze $100. Great job to all students who participated!
HONOR
Gold - Sona Asatryan
(Verdugo Hills High School, Coach: Evae Silva, Principal: Arturo Barcenas)
Silver - Clare Buchanan
(Verdugo Hills High School, Coach: Evae Silva, Principal: Arturo Barcenas)
Silver - Ernesto Alvarez
(Dr. Richard Vladovic Harbor Teacher Prep Academy, Coach: Felisa Isakson, Principal: Jan Murata)
Bronze - Vanessa Sandoval
(South Gate High School, Coach: Jacob Aguilar, Principal: Leo Gonzalez)
SCHOLASTIC
Gold - Langston Prince
(Marshall High School, Coach: Daniel Badiak, Principal: Gary Garcia)
Silver - Nicole Palacios
(Verdugo Hills High School, Coach: Evae Silva, Principal: Arturo Barcenas)
Bronze - Adriana Castro
(Dr. Richard Vladovic Harbor Teacher Prep Academy, Coach: Felisa Isakson, Principal: Jan Murata)
VARSITY
Gold - Sonrisa Lopez
(Verdugo Hills High School, Coach: Evae Silva, Principal: Arturo Barcenas)
Silver - Tanya Marquez
(South Gate High School, Coach: Jacob Aguilar, Principal: Leo Gonzalez)
Bronze - Frank Jenkins
(Marshall High School, Coach: Daniel Badiak, Principal: Gary Garcia)
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The 1st Academic Decathlon Virtual Speech and Interview Competition could not have been as successful without the help of LAUSD Beyond the Bell volunteers. To prepare for the competition, judges attended a mandatory training where they listened to Decathletes’ speeches and interviews, learned about the new virtual competition procedures, and practiced with the online scoring software. We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of judges as they were bombarded with information on this year’s virtual competition.
Volunteers were selected based on availability, giving priority to judges that were able to commit to three or more days a week. Sixty-eight volunteers ended up participating in 18 different three-judge panels, 9 for interview and 9 for speech. At the end of a week of virtual competition, judges had heard and scored over 750 speeches and interviews and committed a combined 685 hours of their schedule to the program.
When asked about their overall experience during the LAUSD BTB Academic Decathlon virtual Speech and Interview competition, one judge stated, “In spite of the pandemic with social distancing, virtual learning, and the stress and nervousness from having to prepare and memorize a speech and do an impromptu speech, I loved seeing that the students persevered, conquered their fears and presented from good, to very good, to excellent speeches. They were very impressive!”
In the end, Beyond the Bell’s goal was to create an environment in which students felt comfortable competing. Thanks to the judges we were able to go above and beyond the goal.
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In this month’s newsletter we would like to highlight the LAUSD Academic Decathlon silver sponsor, Bank of America. Bank of America strives on making an impact on their community as best as they can. As Lori Becker, Senior Vice President/Senior Client Manager at Bank of America states, “In each market, we connect everything our company offers to our clients’ financial and community goals. Investing in community through philanthropy, local contributions and volunteerism is how we make a large company create a personal impact in the life of Los Angeles citizens. We know we can make a direct impact in our communities.”
When asked about Bank of America’s involvement with the program, Ms. Becker states, “As a proud member of the California and Los Angeles community for more than a century, we take seriously our commitment to grow responsibly and sustainably — everything we do aligns to our purpose of helping people live better financial lives. Combining the financial capital of one of the nation’s largest banks with the intellectual capital of more than 200,000 employees, we can help the communities we serve thrive.”
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Proceeds enable Beyond the Bell to continue our work in building LAUSD scholastic competitions. If interested in donating, please make checks payable to LAUSD Academic Decathlon. Checks can be mailed to:
LAUSD Academic Decathlon
ATTN: Luis Mora
333 S. Beaudry Ave. 29th Floor
Los Angeles, CA. 90017
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ACADEMIC DECATHLON & PENTATHLON T-SHIRT |
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Each year, LAUSD Academic Decathlon designs a T-shirt to commemorate the season. Every participating Decathlete and Pentathlete, coach, and volunteer will receive a shirt to signal their involvement in the program. T-shirts include the yearly topic and list of participating schools. Pentathlon design coming soon. |
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My role in the Cold War included:
- My paintings reflected the Cold War.
- I was part of the Abstract Expressionist movement which aimed at the direct presentation of feeling with an emphasis on dramatic colors and sweeping brushstrokes.
- My Abstract Expressionist paintings varied from others as I eventually abandoned the use of brushes and instead dripped the paint directly onto my canvases.
- This painting is considered one of my masterworks and might be one of the most well-known paintings by an abstract expressionist.
- I developed one of the most radical styles in the history of modern art, detaching line from color, redefining the categories of drawing and painting, and finding new means to describe pictorial space.
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Do You Know Who I Am Answer: Jackson Pollock |
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