Flint Hill is an amazing place for any math-oriented student to learn and excel in their area of interest. The Math Department offers a rigorous curriculum, with the option for students to take college level classes such as AP Statistics and Calculus, as well as going a step further and enrolling in the Post APs, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra. However, those who want to take their mathematical inclinations a step further can find their solution on flyers and brochures around the math academic hallway and classrooms: extracurricular competitions. Through these events students can, individually or in teams, develop their analytical and calculation skills while competing against other students from schools all around the country, or in some cases, the world.
The first of these contests are the AMCs, or the American Math Competitions, taking place on Wednesday November 6th and Tuesday November 12th. Run by the MAA, or Mathematics Association of American, these competitions started in the United States and have since branched out into over 30 countries. The AMCs take the form of 25 multiple choice questions with a time limit of 75 minutes to be solved individually. Over 300,000 students take part in these competitions each year, and their wide accessibility helps to promote the MAA’s values of community and inclusivity in mathematics. There are two contests open to high school students: the AMC 10 for those in sophomore year and below, and the AMC 12 for all high schoolers, though it is usually taken by juniors and seniors. Those who rank in the top 5% of the AMC 12 and the top 2.5% of the AMC 10 each year are invited to the American Invitational Math Examination, or AIME. After two rounds of AIMEs, the best-scoring students are invited to USAMO, the United States Mathematical Olympiad, which is the highest level of mathematical competition available to high school students in the US. Flint Hill has offered AMC testing for many years, and though this year’s tests may already be too close to enroll in, the same opportunity will be provided next year, and any interested students should doubtlessly take advantage of it by scanning a QR code on a math hallway flyer.
Another mathematical opportunity is the Integirls DC Math Competition, held December 14th at Montgomery College. It is very beginner-friendly, being accessible to all levels and abilities of math. This contest is run by Integirls, an international, teenager led organization for the advancement of female and nonbinary student mathematicians. The organization spans 60 countries, frequently hosting math competitions, for individuals and teams, in person and online. These contests are open to both middle and high school students, meaning the DC Competition offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with younger students at Flint Hill. Flint Hill will be sending teams to the event, so if you are interested in registering, scan the QR code on a pink flyer in your math classroom to sign your team up!
Finally, Flint Hill allows its students to participate in the math modeling contests, a chance to apply mathematics to real world scenarios and a must-do for those interested in pursuing a college major and career in math. They consist of a team of students attempting to find the best possible solution to a realistic scenario in the form of an algorithm, model, or function. The first of these, the High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling, or HiMCM, begins on November 6th and lasts for two weeks, allowing students to spend plenty of time refining and perfecting their solutions. Subsequent contests, the MCM-ICM (Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling) and the M3 (MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge), are shorter, lasting only four days and fourteen hours respectively. All three events are international, giving students the chance to test their abilities against peers across the globe. Math modeling competitions are incredibly difficult, but also incredibly rewarding, and they present students with a way to turn their interest in mathematics into a viable career, all while training critical interpersonal and problem solving skills.
Math modeling is a team activity, and a variety of skills and specializations are required to succeed. The four person teams of the HiMCM, for example, ideally require a math-heavy calculator, an outside the box thinker, a skilled programmer, and a technical writer. Similar makeups are conducive to the other contests as well, though the sizes of teams vary. Ms. Van Lieshout, the upper school math teacher that introduced the M3 to Flint Hill, believes that participation in these competitions is an amazing way to improve teamwork capabilities. “It fosters true collaboration,” she says, “with kindness and generosity through the joy of problem solving.”
Though math modeling competitors traditionally have a fairly high math level, any student interested in the practical applications of math is encouraged to participate. According to Riki Weeks, the head of the upper and middle school math department and a math teacher at the upper school, math modeling is, “accessible to high and low level math, just with different approaches for different tools.” Math modeling competitions can also be an avenue for students to learn new math and programming skills that wouldn’t be taught at Flint Hill. “Sometimes you need something that does a specific thing,” Mr. Weeks says, “so you look it up. It provides an impetus for self study.”
Though all three types of math competitions have benefits far beyond any literal reward, they do offer prizes for the top scorers, including scholarships, which are offered by the M3. In addition, a good performance in one of these contests can be an amazing addition to a college application, since it demonstrates extracurricular interest in math and, in the case of math modeling, its applications. Students looking to try competing should look out for flyers in the math hallway and announcements in the Daily Report. Any questions can be directed to either Ms. Van Lieshout ([email protected]) or Mr. Weeks ([email protected]).
