Last year, Cam High’s Academic Decathlon (AcaDeca) and Geography Bowl (Geo Bowl) programs were led by Mr. Douglas Harris, but as he no longer works at Cam High, the teams are now advised by Ms. Tawney Safran and Mr. Pascual Campos, respectively.

Geography Bowl

On Nov. 17 Geo Bowl had their competition at Oxnard College. The competition was divided into individual and team competitions. Cam High did not place as a team, but in the individual competition, senior and Stinger Staff Writer, Eric Burschinger placed second overall.

Geo Bowl’s competition is based on global issues including the environment, current events, geology, as well as physical and human geography. The teams are comprised of six students with up to three teams per school. Campos said, “There are no requirements to join [Geo Bowl], it’s open to all students.”

Campos elaborated on why he took over the spot left by Harris, “I covered for [Harris] in one of the competitions, and thought that it was really cool, and this year it was an open position and I wanted to try it out,” Campos said, “It’s my first year, and I think that it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Geo Bowl met every Tuesday at lunch in B-2.

Academic Decathlon 

AcaDeca’s competition consists of multiple-choice tests in academic subjects such as math and literature, as well as an essay, interview, and speech. The team is comprised of students in three different GPA levels, with three students from the 0.00-3.00, 3.00-3.50, and 3.75-4.00 GPA ranges.

When AcaDeca lost its previous adviser, Safran stepped in to ensure the program continued. “I always knew a lot of [AcaDeca] students, and I have never ever led Academic Decathalon before, and I wanted something new in my life, something new to my academic field.” AcaDeca meets twice a week, with a mandatory practice if students cannot make the other.

Safran plans to alter the club’s methods and become more hands-on with her students in order to foster a learning environment. “I’m used to advising many clubs — I know what it takes to lead, and I want to teach the students how to lead themselves. They don’t really need me other than to provide a safe environment, to provide opportunities, to reach out, and to kind of to do the teacher-associated stuff.”

AcaDeca meets every Friday in T-8 after school and their first scrimmage was on Dec. 8. The team’s score does not have an effect on the season, but was used to determine Cam High’s A team and B team. The team’s main competition is on Jan. and Feb. 26 of 2019 at the Ventura County Board of Education building.