Senior Jonathan Callahan knows a lot about Latin American music, art and literature. However this is not because he takes a class on Latin America. Most of what he does know about the subjects stem from hours of research at the library. This is because Callahan is one of the seven members of the Academic Decathlon team.

On Feb. 13 and 14, the school’s Academic Decathlon team competes at Purdue University for the state competition. The team members will be leaving immediately after school and return around 9 p.m. on Feb. 13. February 14 consists of all-day events for the team.

The theme for the competition this year is Latin America. The team did well last year, placing third, and members said they hope to do just as well this year.

“We just tell them to do their best,” sponsor Charles Sinclair said. The competition is divided into two days.

On Feb. 13, there are three speech events consisting of a prepared speech, an impromptu speech and an interview.

Callahan said he does not do as well on the speech events because he considers himself a long-winded speaker. The next day is an all-day academic event with the main event being a science competition. Some other categories include music, history, art and literature.

Callahan has been a member of Academic Decathlon since the beginning of the school year. He said he enjoys what he does.

“First off, I think it’s more intellectually driven than a sport. It’s a place where I can let my talents shine,” he said.

Callahan said his favorite subjects include music, art and literature.

“I hope my track record in liberal arts holds out. I’m going to study harder and listen to Academic Decathlon music CD harder,” Callahan said.

Students have been practicing for the competition for a long time. In order to practice for the music event, they must listen to a music CD given by the Decathlon and answer questions about the style, origin and composer.

According to Callahan, the competition is more of an individual event than an actual team effort. Members can receive gold, silver and bronze medals so as to commend their efforts.

Callahan said he has received many gold medals. He said he practices for the event simply by studying in his room. On average, Callahan said he practices about five hours a week.

“We have a lot of work to do because competition is keener at State,” Sinclair said. The team placed seventh at the Regional competition at Fort Wayne-Sneider last Jan. 24.

Callahan said, “I hope I do well. I hope that at some point my Irish luck kicks in.”

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TOPICS TESTED

Latin American:

• Art
• Economics
• Language
• Literature
• Math
• Music
• Social Science