BHS Math Team Shines at DuKane Conference and ICTM Regional
The Batavia High School Math Team recently competed in the DuKane Conference Math Contest at Lake Park High School and the ICTM Regional Contest at Aurora University and finished strong! Results:
DuKane Conference
Algebra 1 – Mayank Aggarwal (freshman) all-conference; team placed third
Geometry – Ben Goliak (freshman) all-conference
Algebra 2 – Aidan Walker (junior) and Ellen Chlachidze (sophomore) all-conference; team placed second
Junior/Senior Eight-Person Team – First place
Freshman/Sophomore Eight-Person Team – First place
ICTM Regional
Algebra 1 – Mayank Aggarwal (freshman) first place; team placed second
Calculator Team – Second place
Freshman/Sophomore Eight-Person Team – First place
The team practices one hour a week after school and there are four competitions throughout the year, including the Batavia Invitational, DuKane Conference, ICTM Regional, and ICTM State.
According to BHS Math Teachers and Math Team Advisors Brett Bartos, Jean Corkery, Chris Ozarka, and Carolyn Smith, students use the weekly practices to work on problems from previous contests to keep sharp. Some students also practice at home.
“The style of math problems can change from year to year, so you don’t know exactly what to practice,” said Mr. Ozarka who teaches calculus, AP calculus, and computer science.
For the ICTM Regional math contest, sophomores Ellen Chlachidze and Jessie Sadowsky practiced for an “oral math competition,” which includes a presentation of the math solution to judges just seven to 10 minutes after receiving the problem. Nerve-wracking!
“Ellen and Jessie spent hours preparing for this competition, which is one of the most difficult events,” said Mrs. Smith. “They are both outstanding students and scored well, which is really impressive for a first time.”
The final event of the year, the ICTM State Competition, will be held on May 4 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Five teams within the BHS Math Team have qualified and math advisors are confident that participating mathletes will be back in time for prom. 🙂
“Although the Batavia Math Team has had tremendous success, above all else, it’s nice to provide students with an opportunity to get together with a shared passion of mathematics and complex thinking,” said Mrs. Corkery. “What I love most is that we all get to geek out together. We have a passion for STEM and just feed off each other.”
To keep up with the BHS Math Team, follow @BataviaMathTeam on Twitter.
