GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL

How often do you get to ask a teenage stranger a question such as, “If

you were a tree, what kind would you be and why?” and have him or her

answer you instead of snarl?

I recently was privileged to be an interview judge for the Orange

County Academic Decathlon competition. Sixty-six teams from throughout

Orange County spent two Saturdays in competition. The first week, each

student wrote an essay, gave two speeches and then was interviewed by a

panel of two or three judges for seven minutes.

My fellow judges and I decided that these kids were amazing. I try to

keep up on current events and literature, but some of their responses

stumped me. The list of activities filling the one-page sheet that the

students handed us left no time for these teenagers to eat, much less

sleep. While the contest is designed so that each team has equal numbers

of A-, B- and C-average students, they were all bright, articulate and

witty. Some admitted that their teachers had spotted them as

“underachievers” and gotten them to join the team.

While they all denied that members of academic decathlon teams fell

into the nerd category, many of the team members also competed in math

competitions, science Olympiad and other contests of academic prowess.

Many were also involved in sports, from football to golf. About

two-thirds of the kids I interviewed were in some kind of choir, and many

were involved in drama, mock trial, United Nations and speech. Some did

all of the above. A large number of them played the piano, although they

assured me there was no correlation between the two. They volunteered in

all types of community services; many helped tutor the younger children.

While some thought drugs were one of the toughest things facing teenagers

today, they had personally been able to have a good time without using

them. It was so inspiring to talk to these kids, and it gave me such hope

for the future that my fellow judges relieved me of my task as the

timekeeper. Seven minutes just wasn’t long enough.

So, what kinds of trees did the kids want to be? One said a Money

Tree, so he wouldn’t have to worry about money as the quantifier of

success in his life. One wondered if he was a sturdy oak or a bending

willow. He decided he was fairly opinionated and too much of a straight

arrow to qualify as a willow. A boy with an especially stressful schedule

wanted to be a big, leafy tree in the forest, where he could just relax

and sway in the breeze. A young lady wished to be a mighty redwood

surrounded by the beauty of the forest. A football player thought he

would be a sequoia, starting out small and slow, but developing over time

to the mightiest around him. One wanted to be an acorn tree, to provide

food and shelter to others.

The banquet to announce the winners will be Thursday. I think all of

the district students who participated in this activity were winners,

regardless of whether they take home a medal.

A second inspiration came from my visit to hear a children’s author at

last week’s Authors Festival. A slew of authors were recruited to visit

the elementary schools in the district. They inspired our budding readers

and writers to do their best in these subjects. Along with a history

lesson about the book’s subject matter, I learned about every step in

making a book, from research to the design of an inside cover. Take time

to thank the people who made this festival possible.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at GGSesq@aol.com.