By JUSTIN REESE – Under the direction of Dr. Scott Layden, the IHS Math Team is adding up wins. The Mathletes struck success in math-madness competitions, The American Math Contest, and the trips to various competitions. 

This November, students traveled to Clarion to participate in the annual Clarion University Mathematics Competition. At Clarion, Senior Oliver Xing placed first overall out of over 260 students. Freshman Chloe Williams placed second overall. In the team category, Indiana finished second out of the 29 schools present. The team plans to attend both Pitt Greensburg and IUP math competitions. Last year, Indiana placed first at all three events.

Sophomore Athena Yang stated, “My favorite part of this year was going to Clarion with my friends. I learned so many new and different types of math problems and learned to extend my critical thinking skills.”

Apart from traveling to various math competitions, the math team participates in contests right at IHS. Math Madness is a nationwide math competition that teams from across the world compete in online. These contests take place once a week during tenth period during the fall and spring season. 

The different events that math club participates in provides a diverse set of skills that students get to focus on. Senior Tyler Pruitt stated, “I like the individuality. Being able to be a member of the [math madness] team and a sole competitor makes me feel more like an asset. I’m very happy with how to fall season went and our placing at Clarion”

Students also participate in a paper and pencil test, The American Mathematics Competition, which allows students to compete with peers from all across the nation in problem-solving and critical thinking. The competition has been around since 1950 and hosts over 300,000 competitors each year.

In preparation for the events, club members work together on practice material and engage in activities to sharpen their skills and get ready for competitions. Students find the activities both fun and helpful. Junior Abdulrahman Jouhari said, “It’s great to be a part of a group of like-minded students who are interested in advancing their mathematics skillset. I frequently gain knowledge from my teammates and have even grown close with a few.”

Although the 2019-2020 IHS math team has yet to start their spring season of Math-Madness, the team has started a very successful season. 

[Photo by Scott Layden]

Photo Caption: “The IHS math team smiles after success at the Clarion University Annual Mathematics Competition.”