June 11, 2013 - 4:53am
Students from Nanaimo’s Dover Bay Secondary School and Wellington Secondary School won the final round in of the 19th annual 2013 BC Secondary School Math Contest (Mid-Island region) held at Vancouver Island University (VIU) recently.
This year’s BC Secondary School Math Contest was sponsored by VIU, School District # 68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) and the Canadian Mathematical Society. The annual contest is organized by a committee made up of math faculty from 11 different BC colleges and universities including VIU.
“The students did very well,” said Patrick Ng, VIU math professor. “They all had fun participating. We are very proud to host this event and it’s exciting to see so many young students take interest in and enjoy the challenge of mathematics. This is also a wonderful opportunity for high school students to see what VIU has to offer,” added Ng.
“The top math students from mid-Island schools came to our university and saw first-hand what our math department has to offer. It’s also a great opportunity for students to connect with the teachers and a chance to discuss any curriculum changes and the teaching of mathematics in general.”
Each college or university is responsible for holding a preliminary round of competitions within their own school districts in April. Winners compete in the final round at colleges and universities in May. Each round is further divided into two divisions: the junior division for grades 8 to 10 and the senior division for grades 11 and 12.
Five hundred students participated in the preliminary round of this year's contest (15 multiple choice questions with a 45 minute time limit) and the top nine students from each school were invited to participate in the final round.
A total of 84 math students: 45 juniors and 39 seniors from eleven schools in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Qualicum school districts attended the final round of the contest at VIU. Each student had to answer 10 multiple choice questions and five written questions in two hours. The top three students from each division received a $50 prize and the top school in each division received the coveted Pi Cup.
The day's activities included the contest in the morning, followed by lunch and an entertaining talk by the VIU math department professor Dr. Cobus Swarts in the afternoon. Here is a list of this year's winners:
JUNIOR DIVISION
INDIVIDUAL
1st place --- Ethan Li (Dover Bay Secondary School)
2nd place --- Tony Xie (Dover Bay Secondary School)
3rd place --- Anna Zhang (Dover Bay Secondary School)
TEAM
1st place --- Dover Bay Secondary School
2nd place --- Wellington Secondary School
SENIOR DIVISION
INDIVIDUAL
1st place --- Diane Sun (Wellington Secondary School)
2nd place --- Jan Penquitt (Dover Bay Secondary School)
3rd place --- Tsuyoshi Vehira (Nanaimo District Secondary School)
TEAM
1st place --- Wellington Secondary School
2nd place --- Dover Bay Secondary School
Tags: In the Community
