Between nightly homework, quizzes and tests, some students never get to experience the fun of math. The math team offers students the chance to do math in a relaxed environment.
Previously under the radar, it has recently gained a following of more than 20 members who attend weekly meetings.
The team spends one meeting a month participating in an online math competition against other schools. When not participating in an online faceoff, they have timed meets in the cafeteria against 15-20 other teams.
According to senior Sarah Pratt, teams of five compete in timed rounds. They answer problems of different difficulties and work together to score the most points.
Math teacher Nick Pero has managed the math team’s practice schedule and monthly competitions for the last two years.
According to Pero, the math team differs from a math class in that there are no grades.
”I think it’s cool, because students have an inherent affection for math,” said Pero. “I don’t want people to be discouraged because they aren’t getting things right. I just want people to think critically and look at cool non-conventional problems.”
The team has no restrictions or requirements for joining, so long as you are interested in participating.
“It’s open to anyone. It’s just a matter of if you have the time to allot to it and the time to be good at it, because it takes practice,” said Pero.
Pero said he has a lot confidence in the math team. He said he believes the team has the potential to be the best, especially if focus goes completely towards competition.
“We always score within the top three or four schools. There was one event towards the end of last year where we actually won,” said Pero. “And now that practices are becoming more focused and organized, I hope we can score in the top one or two every time.”
According to Pratt, the team of five is required to have a certain grade ratio of two seniors, two juniors and one underclassman. This is to prevent a team from stocking up on upperclassmen and maintain an evenly distributed team.
The math team meets every Wednesday after school in room 262.
Tyler Knight can be contacted at [email protected].
