Students receive 2nd place in USAD China
SMIC-I students won 3rd place in the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) China after putting in a lot of effort. USAD is an annual high school academic competition that includes 10 different subjects, specifically economics, math, literature, social science, science, music, art, speech, interview, and essay. Teams that attend this academic decathlon have to participate in all of ten subjects and be given a grade. This academic decathlon was created since 1968 in California and expanded nationwide in 1981.
Students of SMIC-I have been preparing for USAD China from the first semester of the 2018-2019 school-year. The SMIC-I school team included nine members: Chuyi Shang (10A), TingTing Xu (11B), Elyse Shan (11B), Kevin Luo (10C),Yuhan Chen (11A), Vincent Lin (11B), Nina Liao (10A), Jaebin Choi (10B), and Joy Tang (10C). They went to Chengdu in February 11th and stayed until the 14th for the duration of this decathlon.
As a result of the combined effort by all nine members, the SMIC-I school team produced outstanding work in the division that they were competing in. The team earned 2nd place in their division and won 3rd place in USAD China. The Top 20 teams of USAD China are given the opportunity to compete in the nationals that is going to be held in Bloomington, Minnesota, meaning our students will be going to the U.S. to compete on April 23rd. Even after winnning 3rd place, the team is still putting in lots of time and energy in order to improve their skills and obtain better results in the nationals.
Joy Tang (10C), who is a member of the team, commented, “USAD is an useful experience in the sense that students can learn more knowledge, how to manage their time, and learn how to build team work.” Also if there are students who believe that they are talented in multiple fields of studies, they should participate in USAD, since it requires each team member to strive for mastery of 10 different subjects. However, that does not mean that students who believe that they are not well-rounded should not participate in USAD, because USAD mainly assesses the higher scores in each team, meaning members can help cover each other.
Please cheer for our team and wish them good luck in the nationals!
Featured Image– Students pose with their 2nd place trophy – Photo Courtesy of Joy Tang
by Candy Park