Birchwood Ranks Number One in the Region in Ohio Mathematics League Competition
Birchwood School’s sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders participated in the Ohio Mathematics League contest, which offers middle school students the opportunity to compete against each other to solve challenging word problems in thirty minutes. The contest requires a broad understanding of mathematical concepts and math fluency. Birchwood’s students practiced throughout the year and were rewarded when the results came in. This year approximately 80 schools from across the state of Ohio participated.
The sixth-grade team placed 5th in the state and 1st in the region (Cuyahoga and Summit counties).
The seventh-grade team placed 2nd in the state and 1st in the region.
The eighth-grade team placed 5th in the state and 3rd in the region.
Individually, Birchwood students also ranked high.
6th grade
Jacob Gao (Westlake): 1st in the state and region
Joshua Gordon (Bay Village): 14th in the state
7th grade
Ben Miyares (Rocky River): 2nd in the state 1st in the region
Jordan Gordon (Bay Village): 6th in the state 3rd in the region
Michael Zhu (Avon): 6th in the state 3rd in the region
Angela D’Souza (Rocky River): 12th in the state
8th grade
Manan Raina (Brecksville): 5th in the state, 1st in the region
“We are very proud of our individual and team winners. All of our math students participate in OML, a 30-minute, 35-question contest that features increasingly complex mathematical reasoning as part of our curriculum. By providing each student with extended experiences in solving word problems, they develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Dr. Catherine Haskins, one of Birchwood's math teachers.
Ohio Mathematics League is a chapter of The Math League, an international organization whose tag line is, “Building student interest and confidence in mathematics through solving worthwhile problems.” They focus on promoting the enjoyment of math both with their contests and the educational materials they publish, which enrich math programs around the world. They hope that students will enjoy the challenge, learn from it, and find problem-solving discussions stimulating.
