Upper Lake High participates in virtual state competition
UPPER LAKE >> The Upper Lake High School Academic Decathlon team is heading back to State. The traditional annual event begins with regionals and the state competition has its first day of activities tomorrow, March 3 (essay), continuing on March 16 and 17 (objective exams), March 20 (speech/ interview), and concluding March 21 with the presentation of awards. The categories include 10 subjects and three levels, with three students on each.
The students’ preparation was challenging this year, although Upper Lake has been (back in school) in person since August. “We were using cohorts by grade level for safety. At the end of January, we were on campus preparing during 3rd period class and, when competition happened, we jigsawed the students, so they could compete from campus to mitigate any tech issues,” said Upper Lake High School’s teacher and coach, Anna Sabalone.
“We are able to meet as a class this quarter, so the team is able to interact more. Half are on campus; half, distance learners. Although most of our study prep together is still via Zoom, such as lectures, interview and speech prep, it allows the students an element of camaraderie, despite social distancing and all the other precautions we have in place in this environment that they haven’t had since March 2020.”
The top three students who perform in each category from their total regional results, a total of nine, will represent Lake County at State this month. Sabalone said every competition is now online: “It has been since right before State — one week before — last year. Nine out of 10 of my students are returnees, so they remember how the competition was in person, but are disappointed that a second year at state will be online.” She said she regrets
“We were using cohorts by grade level for safety. At the end of January, we were on campus preparing during 3rd period class and, when competition happened, we jigsawed the students, so they could compete from campus to mitigate any tech issues.”
— Anna Sabalon, Upper Lake High School’s teacher and coach
that elements are much more impersonal without the rapport that develops during judging of speech and interview — “The networking isn’t there. However, keeping the program going, despite the personal and overarching challenges this year, has supported the students emotionally, academically, as well as competitively, supporting their drive, goals and helping them find a focus,” noted the educator.
For Sabalone, the main hurdle is keeping students upbeat and positive, “when a lot of what makes school and programs enjoyable, personal — like making connections — has been stripped away due to COVID. However, they are grateful that they can still compete, whereas many of them also would be playing sports, but haven’t been able to this year.” ULHS will be representing Lake County at State for both Decathlon and Mock Trial, and in the same week in March. “It certainly keeps us all busy,” she added. “We are part of the North Bay Region of Academic Decathlon (NBRAD), headed by Ken Scarberry, out of Solano, who is also the state director. He and his team have been amazing and supportive in making this all work — despite the hardships —, and their focus of ensuring that the kids have a great experience is easy to see.”
A big frustration is to be apart from the team, as student Isabel Sanchez explained: “My favorite part of Academic Decathlon is being able to connect with teammates and making friends, getting closer to them, and being in person, and having that connection. COVID definitely took that away from us and changed the year a lot. The preparation for the competition was very different than we are used to, but we adapted to the changes and still got to study and learn our material semi together.”