Academic Decathlon Competition 2026

Naomy Berganza and Hailey Rodriguez

February 23, 2026

AcaDeca Honors Competitiors

The Academic Decathlon season officially began on January 24, for the Hawkins High School team. That day marked the first part of the competition: the Subject Quiz. Students were divided into Honors, Scholastic, and JV divisions and competed only within their category.

The team had prepared for months under their coach, Ms. Hughes in Room 224. This is her first year leading AcaDeca, and she put a lot of effort into helping the team succeed.

She stayed after school, created study guides, and organized practices. Many students recognized how dedicated Hughes has been and appreciate the time she gives to the team.

To prepare, students were separated into subject groups. Each group studied one subject deeply and then presented and summarized it for the class. I was in charge of math with a teammate, and we explained practice problems and key concepts to help everyone understand.

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The Subject Quiz on January 24 was quiet and intense, more like final exams than a competition. The only part I attended was the Subject Quiz. I’m in the Honors division but technically JV. This was my only event since JV students do not compete in speech, interview, or Super Quiz. Even though it was just written tests, it felt important and stressful.

London Scott, class of 2027, participated in each of the events. This was her first year in AcaDeca.

The second part of the competition took place on a Saturday on February 6 and also included speech, interview, and the Super Quiz relay for non-JV members. This part was much more energetic, with teams competing under bright lights and families cheering.

Ms. Hughes said proudly after finishing,

As the season ends, Hawkins High School’s AcaDeca team is recruiting new members, especially 9th and 10th graders, but students from all grades are welcome. The 2026 season showed the dedication of both the students and Ms. Hughes, proving that hard work and teamwork truly make a difference.

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Su generosa donación apoyará a los estudiantes periodistas de la Escuela Secundaria Augustus F. Hawkins. Nos permitirá imprimir el periódico y la revista de salud mental, comprar o reparar equipos, cubrir nuestro banquete anual de premios y otros gastos.

About the Contributors

Naomy Berganza, Spanish Editor

Naomy Berganza is a 17 years old senior (class of 2026). She was born and raised in El Salvador and immigrated to the USA when she was 13. She is a naturally competitive person and doesn’t like messing around whenever she has stuff to do. That is why when she has strong desires to outperform in the tasks she engages in. For example, she attacks her responsibilities with a serious mindset rather than wasting time. She loves to help everyone around school with anything she can like helping teachers pass out papers. decorating, organizing, translating, explaining to others, etc… This is her first time in Journalism class, even though she wasn’t sure about taking it, once she realized what it was about it called her attention and plans to learn and improve in this class as much as she can. After high school, she plans to be a Neonatal intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse and she said she will do everything to make it reality.

Hailey Rodriguez, Spanish Editor

This is Hailey Ramirez Rodriguez’s first and last year here at Hawkins because she moved schools for her senior year. She made the Hawkins HS cheerleading team on August 21 and she has been having the best experience. This is important because she’s attended three different high schools and she will be ending her high school years here at Hawkins High School. Here’s a little known fact about Hailey, her favorite color is pink; she likes going to the beach to walk around or to sit down, and she also enjoys going to the park to paint or just to be there. Her family is very important to Hailey, that is why she likes spending time with them, going over to her family’s house or inviting them over to her house to spend time with them. She looks forward to making a lot of memories with them, doing new things with them or even going to new places such as in theme parks, road trips or just places they find interesting on the internet. Another interesting fact is that Hailey enjoys doing her hair, trying new hairstyles. One last thing about Hailey is she loves all her jewelry because each piece was given to her on special days and are memorable.