The testing to determine the members of the Academic Decathlon team has taken place. Around 15 people showed up to take the 25-question test which consisted of math, science, economics, language, literature, music and social science topics. Club sponsor Wendy Gerardot said she is working on grading tests and checking both transcripts and GPAs. These factors will determine the final competition team.

“I’m very optimistic about this year,” Gerardot said. “We’re more organized and are being proactive.”

In order to compete, four of the 12 members of the Academic Decathlon team must have a GPA of 3.0 or lower. Previously, there had been concerns that there would not be enough of these varsity members to make up the team. Gerardot said she now believes there will be enough members to have a full team.

Once the team has been finalized, members will sign commitment forms and study materials will be distributed. The club will then meet biweekly for the next four months to check in on study progress so the team is ready to compete in January.

“Carmel always does really well at the regional and state competitions,” Gerardot said. “I have a lot of faith in our future team.”