Johnston’s Academic Decathlon team competes in national competition

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They studied. They played. They placed.

Johnston’s Academic Decathlon Team recently competed in the national Decathlon competition, and placed tenth in their division (mid-size schools).

Team Captain Mackenzie Hanna received the highest score on the team, and Ben Annicelli won two silver medals, in Mathematics and Social Science.

“I love the fact that the kids come together as almost a family, learning and growing together throughout the year,” said one of the team’s coaches, Debbie Smyth. “In some of their cases, over years.”

Several students also received completion medals during a ceremony at the State House.

“It is exciting every year to plan activities based on the topic provided by the National Academic Decathlon,” Smyth said. “Because we design our gameplan to draw the kids in, it gets them extremely involved in every aspect of the competition.  A common misconception about Academic Decathlon is that you need to be a straight-A student. This is far from the truth, as all students, regardless of grades, are more than welcome to join the team. We welcome diversity with open arms.”

Smyth and fellow coach Kerry Murphy helped guide the team to the national competition. They placed the final medals around the necks of team members during a brief recognition at the high school last week.

“Academic Decathlon can be a game changer for many of our students,” Murphy said. “For the already academically focused, it provides an opportunity to hone communication and leadership skills, as well as a social outlet for work that might usually be solitary in nature. For others, the team setting provides review, new learning, and a chance to learn study strategies from peers. The competitive aspect can make the learning more fun.”

Murphy presented two national level silver medals to Annicelli — one for Mathematics and the other for Social Science.

“Field trips, in-person challenges, and interview practice sessions are all some of my favorite, more personalized parts of the experience,” Murphy said. “Getting to know these students outside of the traditional classroom setting, consistently proves to be a highlight of the school year.”

Hanna served as the team’s captain. Smyth presented her with a medal for earning the high score of the national team.

“I have participated in academic decathlon since I was a freshman, and it has easily been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had,” Hanna said. “This year especially, I feel as if I have learned so much through being the captain, and I could not be more proud of the team. They did an amazing job this year.”

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