Three times a year on what seems like a random Friday, you may notice that your friend is missing. They are nowhere to be found at lunch, nor in English, nor in any of their classes. Where could they be? Sick? Vacation? Ditching? Luckily for you, none of the above. Your friend, along with eight other students, is excused from their classes that day. They will spend their day with the Academic Decathlon club cramming for their upcoming event.

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Academic Decathlon’s competing squad includes only nine students. Extending beyond the nine, however, are nearly thirty members. As the club is mostly driven by student initiatives, three student captains direct the course of action.

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This year, Javier Lopez ’19, Sonia Subramaniam ’19, and Olivia Bogiages ’19 will take on their role as captain for the second year in a row. Holding the role of captain for Academic Decathlon, commonly dubbed ‘Acadec’, however, is not similar to becoming the captain for a sports team. Unlike student athletes, who may play a sport their entire life before continuing it in high school, Acadec is an experience beginning exclusively during a student’s high school years.

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Bogiages, for example, didn’t have the opportunity to hear about Acadec until her Freshman year.

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“I joined my Freshman year at the club fair. I knew one of the captains, so he was explaining it to me. He said he really liked it, so I decided to try it,” Bogiages said.

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Similar to Bogiages’s circumstance, fellow captain Subramaniam joined as soon as she heard about the club as well. But for her, this opportunity came a year later.

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“I joined Academic Decathlon my Sophomore year of high school when I heard about it through an article in the newspaper. I read about the 2015-2016 team, specifically how they had won at states. Hearing about their performance really inspired me to join,” said Subramaniam.

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The allure of Acadec was intense for its current captains, but to the common high school student the happenings of the club may be completely unknown.

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“I would define the Academic Decathlon as a comprehensive competition in which everyone exercises their complete knowledge of one particular subject,” said Bogiages.

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Throughout the year, Acadec members exercise their knowledge at three competitions under the leadership of the captains. In preparation for the ten events that the decathlon encompasses, the captains lead study sessions and have a ‘cram day’ on the Friday before the competitions. On this cram day, students are excused from classes and spend the day reviewing material with their fellow club members.

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When the competition day comes, the three captains along with six other competing students spend the first part of the day taking tests. Each individual student tackles seven different tests, which each cover a different aspect of the overarching topic selected for the conference. The test subjects include: social sciences, science, economics, mathematics, literature, art, and music.

The second half of the day veers from the structured process of taking tests and dives into a series of ‘subjective events,’ as Acadec members call them. These include an interview, a speech, and turning in a prewritten essay.

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Bogiages acknowledges that the in depth description of Acadec may not immediately attract participants. She does, however, point out that the difficulty of Acadec is what makes for what she considers a unique opportunity.

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“I think it sounds really taxing, but there’s a certain draw to it because it’s so comprehensive. I think it’s really interesting because you can look at one topic from so many different perspectives,” she said.

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Subramaniam, as well as Bogiages, points out that the comprehensiveness of Acadec set it apart from other clubs for her.

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“I thought it was really special how it wasn’t just like a science or math team, where you only get to compete in one subject. You get to compete in ten different areas and fully exercise your knowledge on a topic,” said Subramaniam.

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Under the leadership of the captains, who arrange activities such as weekend study sessions and club dinners, the members cultivate a bond similar to that of an athletic team. While they define themselves as a club, the members rely on one another to prepare for their competitions and meet their score goals.

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“We spend a lot of time helping each other. I, for example, am not as proficient in math and economics as I am with music and art. I tend to help people with arts, music, social sciences, and in return they help me with math and science,” Bogiages said of the cohesive relationship between members.

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Participating in Acadec, in Subramaniam’s opinion, also provides an opportunity to carry on a legacy.

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“The thing that is really special to see every year is how everyone has to fill their role, play their part, get a certain number of points so that our score will be high enough to get us first place in the large school division, which is what we hope to get every year. We’ve been winning for 30-40 years, so it's become a tradition. I love continuing that tradition,” said Subramaniam.

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Both Bogiages and Subramaniam stress that Acadec is a club open to students of all GPA levels, class levels, or commitment levels. As captains, the two are advocates of the fact that the stereotypical Acadec student does not exist.

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“You don’t have to have a certain GPA to join Acadec and you don’t have to be ready to give it all your time. It’s just a really fun environment to learn, and you can be chill about it if you want. Or you can study really diligently if that’s what you want,” Subramaniam said.

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Bogiages attests to this statement, saying: “Anyone of any level of academic achievement can get a great experience out of it. It’s all what you make of it.”