The Academic Decathlon was founded in 1968 by Nazi prison camp survivor Dr. Robert Peterson, to help students across America attain greatness through, a multidisciplinary academic competition. Unfortunately, it has devolved into yet another institution bent on indoctrinating kids with woke, climate alarmism, pagan spirituality and social justice dogma.
The organization has kicked off its upcoming year of study, with scores of Alaska high school students now preparing to compete on local teams for the 2024-25 competition. The program establishes an annual theme and invites schools to form teams and coordinate research efforts around pre-selected topics.
AcaDeca, as it is commonly known, culminates with a national final. The academic year is filled with quizzes in seven categories – art, economics, literature, math, music, science, and social science. Participation is promoted as a feather in the cap of college applicants and scholarship seekers.
Alaska AcaDeca’s website lists incentives such as $28,000 in annual scholarships through the “Alaska 529” program, and $9000 in University of Alaska scholarships. Major financial sponsors include the Alaska Community Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation and Rural CAP. While these funds are distinct from the national awards, they reflect the monetary muscle behind AcaDeca in Alaska.
This year’s AcaDeca theme, however, will likely rub many past potential participants the wrong way.
Over the past 20 years, 16 themes focused on key historical periods or important geographical regions of the world. Over the past 10 years, however, 40% of themes have dealt with social issues such as alternative energy, exploration of sickness and health, and water resources.
The 2024-25 theme is titled, “Our Changing Climate,” and requires students to immerse themselves in radical environmental ideology. For the art category, students will study “environmentalist art.” The Economics curriculum includes a “thematic section on the economics of climate change.” Science “will be an introduction to environmental science,” and for social science, students will key in on “climate change in the past and present.”
In the literature category, students must read “Solar Storms,” a coming-of-age fictional novel by leading eco-feminist and anti-colonial author Linda Hogan. According to Hogan’s online biography, her credentials and interests revolve around indigenous spirituality, the supernatural lives of animals and environmental activism.
Hogan’s works consistently devalue and deconstruct Judeo-Christian faith and white colonists, while exhibiting a disdain of America’s founding and condemnation of traditional masculinity. Reviewers extensively describe her work as pantheistic and animistic.
Whether students and their parents agree that immersion in climate alarmism, anti-Christian rhetoric and pagan spirituality are fitting topics for the once-reveared Academic Decathlon remains to be seen.
26 Comments
Climate “alarmism,” huh? Frankly anyone who is following the science is alarmed, especially in Alaska where the permafrost is melting at an alarming rate.
test
Permafrost melting is not surprising given that roads and buildings are going up everywhere.
Won’t let me respond to the original post, but I can post the word, “test?” Interesting.
What is there to be alarmed about? The Earth changes. The sun goes through cycles. Humanity and quite frankly much of the natural world is quite adaptive to change. If you are scared, that simply means you lack what it takes to be prepared. This world is not just peaches and cream. Though it is not as scary as you claim it to be either.
There is one thing to beware though, slimy politicians who use fear to make you vote for your salvation.
The sky if falling too,10 years ago the earth was going into an ice age they said.
How about a class on the Bible there’s history for you.
Borges, I understand how science can be a threat to Christianity. As for climate change, the evidence for an anthropogenic is vast and irrefutable. I suppose you would prefer next year’s theme to be bible study?
Yes a Bible study, there’s a history class for you Jeff
Yes a Bible study, there’s a history class for you Jeff
Hey,, Jeff.. Science isn’t a threat to Christianity.. In fact, science, and the archaeological records, both sub-layer, and Geological records have proven to be a “threat” to the false (lies) narratives being pushed by your scientific deniers. The records are published, which refute your ideologies of “climate change” agendas. Look it up.. Alaska was, in one era, warm enough to support the large reptiles food resources, 12 months out of the year. They starved to death, when the climate “changed” so rapidly that they couldn’t migrate soon enough to “greener” pastures.. One more point; These same archaeologists, and Geophysicists have the records indicating that there were once periods of warmth, such as you have never dreamed of.. Do a little honest research.. The records are there.
Hey,, Jeff.. Science isn’t a threat to Christianity.. In fact, science, and the archaeological records, both sub-layer, and Geological records have proven to be a “threat” to the false (lies) narratives being pushed by your scientific deniers. The records are published, which refute your ideologies of “climate change” agendas. Look it up.. Alaska was, in one era, warm enough to support the large reptiles food resources, 12 months out of the year. They starved to death, when the climate “changed” so rapidly that they couldn’t migrate soon enough to “greener” pastures.. One more point; These same archaeologists, and Geophysicists have the records indicating that there were once periods of warmth, such as you have never dreamed of.. Do a little honest research.. The records are there.
Lobo you are badly gouging archaeology and geology. What you aren’t considering is the very hard to comprehend concept of deep time. Relevant to your refutation of climate change is the fact that change over a great deal of time, say 5 million years, allows the climate and all members of our shared planet to adapt slowly. Doesn’t always work for individual species, but it’s not catastrophic.
Current climate change IS catastrophic because species cannot adapt quickly. Plus humans have destroyed or reduced habitat necessary for survival and adaptation.
Jeff
Are you up to date on all your boosters ?
Please list the vast and indisputable evidence. I’ll wait. You are entitled to your opinion, but not your own “facts.”
Don’t perform in their clown show-
When will people realize that they don’t have to participate in these organizations.
Start your own organization.
It is so sad when people on either side are not able to wrestle through hot-button topics with grace and reason and understand and, even learn from, perspectives that differ from their own.
I certainly am proud of the good discussions and critical thinking this topic has already sparked in our mature students. We must rationally engage our culture in a wise manner, not dismiss those we disagree with by name calling and sensationalism!
I am so proud to be coaching a generation of young adults who are prepared to fully understand the dominant cultural perspectives and offer well-reasoned alternative view points while acknowledging those they disagree with as having valuable points that can be learned from. They are truly ready to “be in the world and not of the world.”
They will walk in the steps of the Apostle Paul in Acts 17, who utilized his knowledge of the pagan culture and the panthiestic worldview of his audience to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of isolating or fearing the viewpoints which saturate our culture, why not help our students exercise a fruitful dialectic process to come to a well-researched position that they are confident to articulate? What would you prefer for our next generation?
Tiffany,
I thought you right wingers agreed that there is climate change but disagreed on the cause. Are you saying there is no climate change???
Tom, we “right wingers” do understand that the climate does change.. The actual geological, geophysical subsurface records indicate that. The Global temperatures during the 1200 AD era were significantly higher that today .. That was a few days before the Model T, and coal fired plants. The public data in Principia Scientific shows temperatures in the Medieval warm period (MWP) were drastically warmer than the temperatures of the 20th. century.. Look it up… That was back when campfires were the modern Central Heating Systems.. Tom … Do you know where the terms, “right wingers, and left wingers” come from ????
Christians mad science doesn’t cater to their nonsense religion. This and more breaking news
There is no dispute between religion and science. Both are ways to explore the wonder of God’s creation. Fake garbage “science” like “global warming” is not science, at all.
Science and religion are opposite ways of describing a phenomenon. Science is defensible, based on evidence and reason. Religion is not.
You operate in science mode 99% of you day. You have to in order to live.
As a Christian homeschooling mom, I am so proud to be coaching my son and his AcaDeca team as a generation of young adults who are prepared to fully understand the dominant cultural perspectives and offer well-reasoned alternative view points while acknowledging those they disagree with as having valuable points that can be learned from. They are truly ready to “be in the world and not of the world.”
They will walk in the steps of the Apostle Paul in Acts 17, who utilized his knowledge of the pagan culture and the panthiestic worldview of his audience to present the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of isolating or fearing the viewpoints which saturate our culture, why not help our students exercise a fruitful dialectic process to come to a well-researched position that they are confident to articulate? What would you prefer for our next generation?
Does the copy editor have the day off?
May be.. I can’t respond to Jeffey, the Atheistic, Geological, Anthropogenic. Archaeological genius. The one that doesn’t seem to understand the records as they are published.. The one that apparently isn’t aware of the fact that Alaska was once so warm that the giant reptiles, dinosaurs were able to survive year round.. Until the little ice age set in, and killed off their food sources in Winter. They couldn’t migrate soon enough to survive.. Alaska has not returned to the warm periods of the past… But, I guess it must be fun to mock someone else’s religious beliefs.
Dinosaurs were around between 250 and 66 million years ago. The Little Ice Age lasted from around 1650 to 1850AD (later in Alaska). You’re way off.
Thanks for this excellent and timely heads-up regarding what *should* be an exercise in academic agility for students, but is no longer. It’s sad, although I can’t say it’s at all surprising, to realize that it’s become another indoctrination vehicle, much like the Battle of the Books has done. Some of us parents tried for a while to influence the reading choices in that latter scholastic competition, but the NEA types in charge really don’t want anyone to know that there are lots of parents who are NOT on board with their agenda.