Einstein! Pascal! Euclid! Budd! Skaluba! Jimenez! We all know these first three people— they are famous mathematicians who have contributed greatly to the face of mathematics. However, who are the last three, and what do they have to do with these great mathematicians? These are just some of the great minds of today and three members of Benet Academy’s math team. This year, the math team had a very successful season culminating in a win at regionals and a move on to the state competition. The team competed in several local meets and placed first in quite a few of them. At the meets, students from all four grade levels individually took a test about a specific topic and competed against the other contestants. The scores were then added up, with the winning team determined by the highest overall score. Additionally, at the local meets, there is a candy bar competition, a favorite among the students. Each school works together to solve approximately twenty questions in the allotted amount of time. The school with the most correct questions gets to take home a giant bag of candy. This is often a very competitive test, and Benet won one this year!

The regional meet differs from the other local meets and is the most important. This year, Benet hosted the regional meet, bringing together many of the local schools to compete for spots at the state competition. The regional meet is a different style of competition with new types of tests. There is a two person test, an eight person team test, a normal individual test with the scores added, a calculator test, and an oral competition. Each grade level is able to enter contestants into these competitions, and there are individual winners for each event as well as a winner for the overall school. The regional meet was competitive with all the schools wanting a place at state. The Benet team came out on top winning by only one point! If any one person had gotten another question wrong, the team would not be going to state. It truly was a team effort that allowed Benet to advance; every person did his or her part.

Now the math team is preparing to go to state, and they are going to be competitive. They continue to practice once a week with additional practices scheduled for their individual events. The team would not be where it is without each member and the help of the coaches— Ms. Elizabeth Byers, Mr. Peter Drinan, Mrs. Rose Sterr, and alumnus Dr. Lecompte. This year has been a truly successful one for the Redwings academically and athletically. Let’s hope the math team can continue the great success!