Malden High’s Math Team took off with high hopes to St. John’s Prep for their second competition of the year. Consisting of seven different schools, each of the teams engaged in a tense contest, with each student fighting for a better outcome than the previous competition. The team was excited upon arrival to have fun, put their best effort in, and take away important knowledge from each round.
“Obviously, we want to win, but we always try to come here for the experience and for fun,” expressed junior and Co-Captain of Math Club alongside junior Ninitha Balamurali, Cathen Fontanilla. “We want to encourage the freshmen and the newcomers to stay in the club, so we try not to dwell on the ‘hardness’ of the math too much. When we’re preparing, we try to collaborate as much as possible, and it makes the process much easier. It’s just like a normal competition,” she continued.
Malden stepped up to the challenge, going through six individual rounds and a final collaborative team round. The scoring works as such: two points per round, three questions per test–six possible points per person per round. There is a limit of five competitors per round, allowing for a total of 30 possible points.
The first round proved to be challenging for all teams competing, where students were tasked to solve complex number problems. Most competitors involved found it difficult, with many not performing as well as they wished. Despite Austin Prep taking the lead with ten points, Malden held their ground, being tied with Wakefield for fourth place with four points.
The second round dealt with regions on a plane, asking students to find the coefficients of an equation given the area it creates. With the teams divided on performance this round, Wakefield and Malden maintained their tie, each totaling ten points thus far.
Suspense arose between rounds as the proctors entered the mess hall again to deliver scoring sheets for each of the teams, quickly adding up the points as students either cheered or restrategized. Food provided for the students boosted their morale between the rounds as teams reconvened.
The team had a consistent eight-point gain for the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, bouncing from last place to penultimate place. As they were brought closer and closer to the final rounds, they lost their chance to climb the ranks. Between geometry and tessellations, factoring rational expressions, and solving inequalities within scenarios, Malden needed to “lock in” for the final two rounds.
The competition, despite its challenges, provided an opportunity for new up-and-coming students, such as sophomore Derline Hyppolite. As a first-time competitor, she expressed that she “felt nervous” and that being an alternate competitor during round three was “stressful.” She hopes to “contribute positively to the team” in the future and improve her math skills through the club.
The fifth round had placed them in the penultimate spot, with Danvers just four points behind. The sixth round tackled a complex series of triangle problems, preparing the teams and serving as the final solo round before a final collaborative team round. The sixth round kept Malden in the same spot, with the same point distance as Danvers, with both teams gaining 12 points.
“The competition was unexpectedly difficult compared to previous ones, but my team and I came in prepared and saw it through to the end,” elaborated senior Joseph Alayane.
The last team round was a combination of the types of questions asked in the previous rounds, with a scaled difficulty. This round proved to be a great challenge for Malden, unfortunately, as they acquired no points.
The competition resulted in a win for Lynnfield, with 76 points, with Malden ultimately placing second-to-last with a final score of 46 points. However, the unfortunate loss did not discourage Malden’s competitors from future competitions.
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