E ITION AD
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MERIDIAN SOURCE
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Pencils sharpened for math quiz
Supplied Photo
Practise makes perfect. Lloydminster Comprehensive High School students Declyn Getzinger, Molly Larson, Behrad Jadidizadeh and Blake Grillandini do some calculations before the Canadian Open Mathematics Competition on Oct. 26. Students can win awards and prizes at the prestigious 2.5-hour exam. GEOFF LEE STAFF WRITER
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Roughly 11 math students at Lloydmin-
ster Comprehensive High School are hoping things add up correctly at this year’s Cana-
dian Open Mathematics Competition. At stake is the opportunity to get invited
to math camps and win awards and prizes when the Canadian Mathematical Society releases the marks in January. The cream of the crop has the opportunity to compete internationally as part of Math Team Canada. This year’s competition for Grades 10-12 students took place at the Comp on Oct. 26 with math teacher Debbie Hamilton setting the scene a couple of days in advance. “The exam is 2.5 hours. It’s extremely hard. It’s a senior level, so there are some pretty difficult questions,” said Hamilton. “It covers everything. The exam starts off pretty basic and then it just grows in difficulty until it gets to collegelevel math. It’s a good competition.” Hamilton says aside from some great prizes and scholarship possibilities, if they do well enough, they get
ranked. “Last year, we had one of our students place in the top 25 per cent of all of Canada,” she said. T h e stu d e nt w o u l d be 16-year-old keener, Declyn Getzinger in Grade 11 who planned to give it another crack after scoring so well last year. “It was a pretty tough challenge. I spent the entirety of the time doing the test,” he recalled. The competition is open to any student with an interest in and a grasp of high school math. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to explore, discover, and learn more about mathematics and problemsolving. “Math teaches you basic math skills, of course, and calculations and understanding the world around you,” said Getzinger. “You can use math in
any sort of problem.” Getzinger is hoping to apply his math know-how to study chemistry in post-secondary education. Hamilton is one of seven math teachers at the Comp who tries to simplify math and make connections for students. “I try to make a lot of connections between math and where it shows up in life,” she said, adding, “math teaches more than just numbers. “It’s problem-solving and thinking skills and that’s what is really beneficial when they get to university— how can they solve problems that they haven’t seen before.” During the math competition, no cellphones or calculators are allowed to make things even harder. “It’s all written. They’re allowed rulers and protractors— old school almost,” said Hamilton.
