May 16, 2011 - 9:00am
Vancouver Island University recently hosted some of the brightest young minds on Central Vancouver Island at the final round of the 2011 BC Secondary School Math Contest (mid-island region). The event took place at VIU on May 6.
The B.C. Secondary School Math Contest is an annual event organized by several colleges and universities across the province. This is the seventeenth year that VIU has hosted the event. A committee made up of math faculty from different post-secondary institutions in B.C created the contest.
“The students did very well in the contest,” said Patrick Ng, VIU Math professor. “They all had fun participating. We are very proud to host this event and it is very exciting to see so many young students take interest in and enjoy the challenge of mathematics.”
There are currently eleven colleges and universities (Camosun, Capilano, New Caledonia, Douglas, Langara, North Island, Northwest, Okanagan/UBCO, TRU, UFV and VIU) participating in this contest. Each college/university is responsible for organizing the event in their local school districts. The contest consists of two rounds: a preliminary round written at the high schools in March and a final round written at the local colleges/universities in early 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.
The preliminary round of this year's contest (15 multiple choice questions with a 45 min. time limit) was written at the local high schools on March 30. Three hundred students participated and the top nine students from each school were invited to participate in the final round.
A total of 81 top math students: 47 juniors and 34 seniors from ten schools (Dover Bay, Kwalikum, John Barsby, Ladysmith, NDSS, Wellington, Woodlands, Malaspina International High School, Nanaimo Christian School and Aspengrove School) in districts 68 and 69 attended the final round of the contest. Each student had to answer 10 multiple choice questions and 5 written questions in two hours. The top three students from each division received a $50 prize.
“This is a wonderful recruitment opportunity for VIU,” said Ng. “We invited the top math students from districts 68 and 69 and showed them what our Math department and Science & Technology department have to offer. It is also a great opportunity to connect with the teachers and a chance to discuss any curriculum changes and the teaching of mathematics in general.”
The day's activities included the contest in the morning, followed by lunch and an entertaining talk by the Math Dept's very own Dr. Dave Bigelow in the afternoon. Prizes were then presented to all the winners by the Dean of Science & Tech, Dr. Greg Crawford and the Chair of the Math Dept, Dr. Dave Bigelow.
The contest was sponsored by School District 68, NSERC and VIU’s Faculty of Science & Technology
Here is a list of this year's winners:
JUNIOR DIVISION
INDIVIDUAL
1st place --- Rachel Elliot (Dover Bay Secondary School)
2nd place --- Tom Pham (Malaspina High School)
3rd place --- Eric Roberts (Dover Bay Secondary School)
TEAM
1st place --- Dover Bay Secondary School
2nd place --- Wellington Secondary School
SENIOR DIVISION
INDIVIDUAL
1st place --- Jason Wang (Dover Bay Secondary School)
2nd place --- Joseph Yeo (Nanaimo Christian School)
3rd place --- Insung Jun (Kwalikum Secondary School)
TEAM
1st place --- Dover Bay Secondary School
2nd place --- Nanaimo District Secondary School
Tags: In the Community
