WATERFORD — A Waterford Union High School sophomore has achieved something no student at his grade level has accomplished in the 43-year history of the Wisconsin Academic Decathlon competition.
Brandon Serkowski earned the highest overall individual score at the state competition — a feat never before achieved by a sophomore. He also went home with 11 medals in a variety of areas and set new records in both art and social studies.
Academic decathlon is scored across 10 events, covering topics such as economics and music, as well as skills such as interviewing and essay writing. Individuals receive scores, and those scores are then summed to determine their team's total.
"It's a comprehensive competition, and that's what's the most exciting part about it for me," Serkowski said. "The academic decathlon requires you to conquer those weaknesses you've had, turn them into strengths."
Despite the record-breaking performance, Serkowski said the experience means more to him than any number.
Watch: Waterford students celebrating record-setting success at state Academic Decathlon competition
"I don't value my success on a score per se, because a score is just an arbitrary number," Serkowski said. "Happiness for me comes in the experiences, the connections, and the realizations that we are a team."
Serkowski credits his teammates for his success.
The team meets every Tuesday and studies together for nearly two hours.
"We choose what guides we want to focus on during that specific week, and we let each person read and take turns in order for them to create their own memories of the material," Serkowski said.
Then they each continue their studies on their own.
"I made note cards, I made flashcards, and I shared them with our friends," said Maddy Hansen, a junior on Waterford's team.
She said she joined the academic decathlon team because the team needed more members, and it would help her in the college application process.
"It was not at all what I expected. I was not aware of how much effort and time this would take, but I'm very glad I did it, because this is teaching me a lot about dedication and, honestly, independence," Hansen said. "We had to do a lot of studying by ourselves."
Hansen was also a standout at the state competition, earning a perfect score in the interview event.
"I was really surprised, I was shocked," Hansen said.
What makes the team's success even more remarkable is that Waterford Union High School had never had an academic decathlon team before this year.
"It was really a milestone year for us," Serkowski said.
As Serkowski prepares to compete at nationals in California next month, the team hopes this year marks the beginning of a lasting academic decathlon legacy at Waterford.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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