A new, competitive, intellectual activity has arrived at WVHS: Math Club. 

“[It’s] a fun and competitive activity that any student can join,” says founder Paul Liu, a junior. 

Paul started this club to practice applications of both old and new mathematical material. “[We’ll] look at mathematics not as a set of rules or guidelines but as an art,” Paul says. Joining a math club, as opposed to a regular math class, can “develop students’ intuitive thinking ability and learn new types of mathematics.” 

Currently, there are 20 students participating. Shelby Widman, junior, was “quite interested in the idea of a math club and how competitions or meetings would work,” so she attended the first meeting. 

One student mentioned that the club looked at word problems. For example, they calculated what angle a robber at the center of a rectangular pool should swim towards to escape a policeman, who was at one of the pool’s corners and could only run around the perimeter.

The Math Club will compete at the Portland Community College Math Festival and hopes to qualify for the Oregon Interventional Math Tournament, a regional high school math tournament. The competitions will be “team-oriented,” and will “provide a great sense of camaraderie as students collectively prepare to compete.” In addition to practicing logical thinking skills, one can “develop and hone leadership skills,” says Paul. 

Shelby is especially excited “for the scholarship opportunities and the idea of helping others with math (based) problems,” since it’s “important to give back” to your community in “ways that you’re skilled in.”

Paul mentions, “Math skills developed … will be helpful not only for math competitions but also for comprehensive exams such as PSAT, SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, or even college math classes.” Math competitions “are a fantastic extracurricular activity for high school students. Besides the educational benefits, it is a great way to meet new people and develop teamwork skills,” Paul says. 

Shelby’s glad the group is “more casual than [she] thought.” She hopes to see more “upperclassmen or women in the group” participating in the future, as there weren’t many present during the first meeting.

The recommended minimum class is Algebra 2, and all questions practiced by the club can be solved using techniques based at or below that level. If you’re currently in Geometry or Algebra 2, joining could result in a new perspective on tricky problems and may prove a fun challenge!

Want to “improve [your] math skills, earn scholarships, and stand out as [a] college applicant?” Joining the WHS Math Club may be integral to your success! 

Meetings are every other Thursday in Room 111 (Mr. Simmons).

Instagram @wvhs_math_club

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