Varsity math team finishes top 3 at competition

The+Varsity+Math+Team+shows+off+their+trophy+won+at+the+Thirteenth+Annual+Rockdale+Mathematics+Competition.+They+placed+second+in+team+competition+and+sophomore+Brock+Spence+won+the+individual+round.

Submitted by Michelle Genovese

The Varsity Math Team shows off their trophy won at the Thirteenth Annual Rockdale Mathematics Competition. They placed second in team competition and sophomore Brock Spence won the individual round.

Ty Odom, Staff Writer
November 13, 2017

Related Stories
Kelly Rock earned Teacher of the Year this year for her extreme dedication and passion to inspire her students. “She has taken the time out of her morning and afternoon to help me with science fair and she always makes sure I understand what I’m doing in Biology,” Rock’s current student Claudia Williams said.
One Rockin’ teacher
All the participants for Declamation pose for a post-award picture. Nineteen out of the twenty-nine students who participated placed in either the first, second, or third division.
Starr’s Mill students recite their way to victory
A line of planes sits on the runway at Falcon Field. Planes such as these are what many of the students involved in the Panther Squadron have experience flying.
New club at Starr’s Mill has students flying high

The Starr’s Mill varsity math team placed second in the Small School Division at the Thirteenth Annual Rockdale Mathematics Competition hosted by the Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology. 132 teams from 45 different schools across the state competed.

The competition consisted of four rounds — three team rounds and one individual round. During the first three rounds, the competitors work together to solve problems and in the final round, each student works to solve more problems individually. The fourth round determines the overall winner for each school.

Sophomore Brock Spence took home the top Starr’s Mill award. “If one person knows how to solve the problem, we’ll let them take over and walk us through it,” Michael Haynes said. “It helps us learn team chemistry.”

Senior Michael Haynes, junior Ian Fertig, and sophomores Brock Spence and Jay Yao placed second in team competition.

The students also learned new math concepts during the competition. These concepts are often applied in the classroom.

“They find where their strengths and weaknesses are,” math teacher and team coach Michelle Genovese said. “This helps them prepare for the next competition.”