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MAY 2022
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By SABRINA LO Staff Writer Arcadia High School’s Math Team hosted its 8th Annual Arcadia Math Challenge on April 15. Aside from serving as a fundraiser for the team, the challenge helped promote and provide a fun experience for non-math team members to compete in the subject. Students were offered the opportunity to participate in individual rounds, a written test, and/or “bowl” rounds, which were essentially teams of up to 4 people competing against each other with buzzers. The price was $5 for individual, $3 for bowl, and $8 for both. Though the prices were relatively low, prizes to first prize participants in individual rounds included getting a guaranteed spot on Math Team! There were four categories that students could compete in, according to their current math class. These included Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2/Algebra 2 Honors, Pre-Calculus/Pre-Calculus Honors, and Calculus. There were over a hundred signups. The first-place winners of each category respectively were 8th grader Kevin Wu, freshman Kevin Huang, sophomore Richard Cai, and junior Charles Pei. Students heard about this competition from teachers, flyers, and Math Team members.
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8th Annual Arcadia Math Challenge “I wanted to test my own math skills, and see if I had what it took to get into the Math Team,” said Wu. “I felt that this was an opportunity to express my math skills and interest, and also my willingness to adapt to situations. I like math, plus it was an extra credit opportunity,” said Cai. On each individual test, there were 20 questions and participants got an hour to do as many as they could. While Wu and Cai both expressed that the questions were a bit more difficult than they expected, Huang and Pei both felt that the test was relatively easier than the American Math Competition. “The questions were definitely easier than I expected. I was preparing for questions like those one would see on the American Math Competition (AMC),” said Pei. Though these four won’t be able to join the competition in the upcoming year, they owe their great achievements to their teachers, parents, luck, and of course their own studying. “I’m really excited about [being on the Math Team]. I hope that I can discuss difficult
and interesting problems with people who really love math,” shared Chen. For the bowl, participants Jessica Soehartono and Jianson Huang described the atmosphere and their thoughts. Both had three other teammates and expressed that they enjoy the buzzer-style competition more than traditional written tests. “This way was different than a paperpencil traditional math test because those were more stressful…We only had 30 seconds to answer, [making] answering difficult as there were some parts where you had to do some tedious work,” said Soehartono. “Not being physically able to see the question is a challenge as mishearing a tiny part of the question means that your answer would be wrong… It was different because it requires quick thinking, and is more intense and fast-paced,” said Kevin Huang. The event was considerably well organized, according to Math Team members. “We had several volunteers making sure that everything was working smoothly,” said junior Henry Khine. “As a first-time volunteer, I was astounded
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by the excitement and positive energy surrounding the entire event,” said sophomore Grace Khan. Aside from all volunteers being on Math Team, questions on both the individual and bowl rounds were written by fellow Math Team officers. “One month prior, all Math Team members submitted at least 2 problems for the competition. Officers…would pick the best of the submitted questions to be included,” said Senior Ruth Berkun, a captain of the team. “Finally, each officer checked another officer’s test to ensure quality and solvability.” Math Team is advised by Mr. Nils Miller and Mr. Mauricio Eguez, and they meet weekly on Tuesdays in room G105. Members work on competitive math and prepare for upcoming competitions. “My favorite part of being on Math Team is that I get to learn new types of math, like competition math,” said freshman Atharv Prabhutendolkar. “Members increase the surface area of their brain while simultaneously destroying it!” mentioned senior Selena Zhang. If Math Team sounds suitable for you and you want to try your shot at joining, tryouts will be held in the fall of next school year. slo@arcadiaquill.com Photo courtesy of AHS Math Team
SANTA ANITA SAYS HELLO TO TH E FAIR he By KAI WETTERAU Staff Writer Recently, a new attraction has been announced to open up at Santa Anita Park, letting visitors enjoy a day of fun starting Jul. 21. It’s been called the “State Fair,” no relationship with the official California State Fair though, held every year in Sacramento. The full fair is set to run until Aug. 20, with attendees being able to buy tickets online. This event will host live bands and other forms of entertainment, including but not limited to delectable fried treats and traditional fair rides. Such an attraction almost always comes around to Arcadia, giving people something to do during the summer. It’s almost an annual tradition, following its loss in 2020 due to coronavirus. Past events have included such esteemed performances by Barefoot Nation and Led Zepagain, and this upcoming season will surely host more. Tickets are needed to be bought for parking as well as for admission, though both can be purchased for reasonable costs ranging from $10 to $30. From there, visitors have the freedom to choose how much
money they want to spend on food, and can go on rides for as long as they please with hours ranging from about 4 p.m. or 11 a.m. to midnight. As the fair is a mostly outdoor and nighttime experience, it’s important to dress appropriately and prepare for cooler weather. Health guidelines for the safety of all attendees mainly incorporate whatever the CDC puts out, and further information that changes as time passes can be accessed on the fair’s website. Other popular forms of entertainment present at this summer’s fair include a barbershop quartet and a dual-act of both comedy and juggling. The variety of such an event highlights the openness of the fair to all, meaning anyone from all ages or backgrounds can have a good time while attending the fair. Things as
remote as motorcycle stunt shows are currently scheduled for showing, bringing in an even bigger demographic of people. Sophomore Brandon Lee really enjoys the thought of this; the variety of shows interests him. “When I heard about the summer fair, I was ecstatic about what was to come! I especially enjoyed hearing about the motorcycle stunt show and the daring feats that demand attention!” Traditional food will be available for purchase, such as funnel cakes and turkey legs; in conjunction with this, other foods friendly to dietary restrictions will be present, whether that be a salad or non-wheat products. Guests are able to enjoy their food while at one of two concerts per weekend, or while waiting in line for classic fair rides.
The fair closes its gates as of 11 p.m., meaning visitors have to act fast to get in late before the event is over. While in the last few hours of each day’s exhibit many things begin to close down, those at the fair can still look at and buy different items and products while at one of numerous vendor stands selling a great variety of things. Freshman Rohan Thakur explained what he wanted from these many shops, as some things sold here only come once a year. “I really want to get something that shows summertime at the fair, as usually places never sell anything for the season. This includes towels, plushies, chairs, clothes, and more.” The so-called “State Fair” is one event people shouldn’t miss; it’s a place for visitors to come for as many weeks as they want. It’s something that will make this year’s summer much more enjoyable and busy, and can serve as fun for everyone attending.
kwetterau@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
