MATH TEAM 2007

Proof of Improvement

CAPTAIN
AMY LANCHESTER (Mu Alpha Theta President, State team member)

VARSITY TEAM MEMBERS

Melanie Allen

Lucky Baker

Layla Bouzoubaa

Kevin Brawley

Sam Brotherton (ARML, State team member)

Justin Carlin

Daniel Chen

Raymond Clunie

Jim Creager

Kathryn Daniel

Jonathan Johnson (PreCal MVP)

Kathryn Johnson

Allyse Keel (Mu Alpha Theta Secretary)

Nayoon Kim (Advanced Math MVP; ARML, State team member)

Jacob Kovac (Calculus MVP)

Rochelle Lobo

Will Martin

Kevin Masters

David McCalley

Patti Murphy

Sophia Newton (Mu Alpha Theta Vice-President)

Bijal Patel

Kunal Patel

Steven Rouk (GHP; ARML, State team member)

Tyler Sigwald

Jesse Smith

Khaliliah Smith

JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM MEMBERS

Amelia Allen

Samantha Allen

Nika Daryooni

Rachel Harwell

Vaidehi Joshi

Kevin Lin (Geometry MVP)

Mei Lin

Valeska Lobo

Bianca Marks

Dayrin Mendez

Shalomi Momin

Aaron Roberts (Algebra MVP)

Safron Smith

Edwin White

Although Math Team is a competitive activity, the Rockdale Magnet Math Team has lost none of the intramural spirit, the spirit that says “everyone gets a chance.” This is why an effort is made to ensure that each member of the team get to attend at least two tournaments. This is why no one from Rockdale Magnet is ever turned away from joining. Math Team should be inclusive, and therefore, fun.

With this intramural attitude also comes the attitude toward personal achievement. While it is wonderful to have students that continually win awards and be recognized for being expert problem-solvers, just as important is a sense of personal growth: by high school graduation, are the students better problem-solvers than when they started as freshmen? Being able to answer that question in the affirmative is the true proof of improvement. And none illustrate that better than Amy Lanchester and Sophia Newton.

Although others in previous years certainly did improve -- Julie Matthews and Britt Schneider and James Bascle come to mind -- it was Amy and Sophia who showed everyone just how much better one can become at mathematics and Math Team.

When Amy started as a 9th grader, she showed great promise. She was the only 9th grader taking Precalculus, and she was immediately drawn to Math Team. (Knowing Dr. Garner from middle school helped too!) But Amy was overshadowed and in awe of the talents of the upperclassmen of the time. She felt that she could never be as good as they are, but when they accepted her and the mathematical insights she brought, she slowly began to feel like she could contribute.

Sophia was a loud, goofy, silly, obnoxious teenage girl, who, for some reason, was also drawn to Math Team in the 9th grade. Unlike Amy, however, she was not that adept at mathematics, and really, in her freshman year, didn’t seem to have much of an interest either. But she thoroughly enjoyed Math Team, and slowly developed an interest in math.

But they both stuck with Math Team. They attended practices. They participated in contests. They worked problems Lots of problems. They learned math from Dr. Garner, from the ARML kids, from other teachers, from those Math Team upperclassmen that awed them, from other Math Team members, and from each other. They found interest in mathematical ideas and fun with the Math Team. And by the time they were seniors, they had grown so much from where they started. Amy was a member of Georgia ARML and a GHP attendee for math; Sophia, who never won any award at any tournament before, won her first trophy at the last tournament she attended her senior year.

When other people wonder just what the purpose of Math Team is, we can always confidently point to the likes of Amy and Sophia as examples of personal improvement -- as examples of what Math Team can do for you if you choose.

LEFT: Jonathan Johnson during the ciphering round at the Georgia Tech Tournament.

RIGHT: Jonathan checking his answers, with Dr. Garner looking over his shoulder, at the Georgia Tech Tournament.

Right: The second place Varsity team receiving their trophy at the Georgia Tech Tournament, February 24, 2007. Left to Right: Amy Lanchester, Sophia Newton, Jacob Kovac, Jonathan Johnson

The Third Annual Rockdale Math Competition was held this year on January 22, 2007. After two years of subject-specific tests, the competition was redesigned after ARML: schools may register up to three 6-person teams to participate in an 8-question Individual Round, a 10-question Team Round, two 3-question Relay Rounds, and a proof-based Power Round. We also split the competition into the middle school, junior varsity, and varsity divisions. The top three teams per division were recognized. (That is, the top three 3A JV teams received a trophy, as did the top three 4A JV teams, etc.) The top 15 individuals per division were recognized as well. The teams with the highest scores and the top individual in each subject were...

Middle School: Dickerson Middle School; Claus Zheng, Dickerson

Junior Varsity: Northview High School;

Varsity: Chamblee High School; Harrison Brown, Centennial.

Another tradition began this year. The annual trip to the suburbs of Birmingham Alabama to attend the Vestavia Hills Math Tournament became a “Captain’s Trip.” That is, the Captain gets to hand-pick three other members of Math Team to form a four-person team. We leave the day before and stay the night in the Galleria in Hoover Alabama. This is a fun trip the lucky ones chosen to go.

The iTest, and internet based contest begun in 2004, again challenged the Math Team in September. This 50-question 5-day event was fielded by the five-person team of Sam Brotherton, Nayoon Kim, Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester, and Steven Rouk. Over 250 teams across the nation participated. When the results were announced in November, the Math Team made the newspapers with our 6th place finish in the nation!

Left: Members of the Varsity team at the Cherokee County Invitational, February 10, 2007. Left to right: Bijal Patel, Kathryn Daniel, Kevin Brawley, Khaliliah Smith, Kathryn Johnson, Layla Bouzoubaa.

RIGHT: Edwin White with his first place trophy from the Cherokee County Invitational

Edwin White managed to accomplish what no one else in the history of Math Team has ever done: he placed first at the very first tournament he ever attended! We were all so in awe of Edwin when he won -- but we weren’t there for him to receive the award! The organizers of the Cherokee tournament gave the participants only an hour for lunch, and we were late getting back for the awards ceremony. We missed the JV awards completely, and had to wait until the ceremony was over to see if the JV team won anything. And they did! It was just so unfortunate that we missed it. (The tournament was close to Valentine’s Day, and Edwin also won some Valentine’s candy!)

LEFT: The fourth place JV team at the Cherokee County Invitational, February 10, 2007. Left to right: Edwin White, Kevin Lin, Aaron Roberts, Valeska Lobo, Mei Lin, Vaidehi Joshi, Bianca Marks, Amelia Allen Photos at the Cherokee County Invitational by Tom Butler

Below you will find our record of placements at the few tournaments the Math Team attended that school year. Team awards are listed first, with individual awards listed after the team member’s name.

September 30, 2006, North Fulton Invitational Mathematics Tournament, Alpharetta.

6th place Varsity team: Melanie Allen, Layla Bouzoubaa, Sam Brotherton (9th place), Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (18th place), Will Martin, Jesse Smith.

October 28, 2006, Cobb County Invitational Mathematics Tournament, Marietta.

22nd place JV team: Vaidehi Joshi, Kevin Lin, Mei Lin, Valeska Lobo, Bianca Marks, Dayrin Mendez, Shalomi Momin, Aaron Roberts.

9th place Varsity team: Sam Brotherton (13th place), Justin Carlin, Raymond Clunie, Nayoon Kim, Amy Lanchester, Sophia Newton, Steven Rouk, Tyler Sigwald.

November 11, 2006, Mercer University Mathematics Tournament, Macon.

1st place Varsity team: Sam Brotherton (2nd place test and 2nd place ciphering), Justin Carlin, Daniel Chen, Allyse Keel, Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (4th place test and 3rd place ciphering), David McCalley, Sophia Newton.

November 18, 2006, University of Georgia Mathematics Tournament, Athens.

9th place team: Sam Brotherton (7th place), Daniel Chen, Raymond Clunie, Jim Creager, Jonathan Johnson, Nayoon Kim (23rd place), Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (19th place), Kevin Masters, David McCalley, Kunal Patel, Jesse Smith.

December 2, 2006, Lassiter High School Mathematics Invitational, Marietta.

20th place JV team: Rachel Harwell, Vaidehi Joshi, Kevin Lin, Mei Lin, Valeska Lobo, Dayrin Mendez, Shalomi Momin, Aaron Roberts.

3rd place Varsity team: Kevin Brawley, Sam Brotherton (5th place), Nayoon Kim (15th place), Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (19th place), Sophia Newton, Steven Rouk, Tyler Sigwald.

December 9, 2006, Vestavia Hills High School Mathematics Competition, Vestavia Hills.

7th place Comprehensive team: Justin Carlin, Kathryn Daniel, Amy Lanchester, Sophia Newton.

February 3, 2007, Columbus High School Varsity Invitational, Columbus.

4th place team: Melanie Allen, Sam Brotherton (11th place), Jonathan Johnson, Allyse Keel, Patti Murphy, Kunal Patel, Jesse Smith (16th place), Khaliliah Smith.

February 6, 2007, AMC

School winner, AMC10A: Kevin Masters

School winner, AMC12A: Sam Brotherton

February 10, 2007, Cherokee County Mathematics Invitational, Canton.

4th place JV team: Amelia Allen, Samantha Allen, Nika Daryooni, Vaidehi Joshi, Kevin Lin, Mei Lin, Valeska Lobo, Bianca Marks, Dayrin Mendez, Shalomi Momin, Aaron Roberts (11th place), Safron Smith, Edwin White (1st place).

2nd place Varsity team: Melanie Allen, Layla Bouzoubaa, Sam Brotherton (3rd place), Kevin Brawley, Raymond Clunie, Kathryn Daniel, Jonathan Johnson, Kathryn Johnson, Nayoon Kim (8th place), Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (6th place, tie), Rochelle Lobo, Sophia Newton, Bijal Patel, Steven Rouk (6th place, tie), Khaliliah Smith.

February 21, 2007, AMC

School winner, AMC10A: Aaron Roberts

School winner, AMC12A: Nayoon Kim

February 24, 2007, Georgia Tech Mathematics Competition, Atlanta.

2nd place Varsity team: Sam Brotherton, Jonathan Johnson, Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester, and Sophia Newton.

March 3, 2007, Armstrong Atlantic State University Mathematics Tournament, Savannah.

4th place JV team: Vaidehi Joshi, Kevin Lin, Aaron Roberts, and Edwin White (13th place);

10th place JV team: Nika Daryooni (13th place), Rachel Harwell, Bianca Marks, and Shalomi Momin.

3rd place Varsity team: Sam Brotherton (1st place and Top 11th grader), Justin Carlin, Amy Lanchester (4th place and Top 12th grader), and Sophia Newton;

11th place Varsity team: Daniel Chen, Jacob Kovac, David McCalley, and Tyler Sigwald;

12th place Varsity team: Jim Creager, Kathryn Daniel, Will Martin, and Patti Murphy;

26th place Varsity team: Layla Bouzoubaa, Kevin Brawley, Rochelle Lobo, and Kunal Patel.

March 17, 2007 – Greater Atlanta Christian School Mathematics Tournament, Norcross

3rd place Geometry team: Amelia Allen, Rachel Harwell, Vaidehi Joshi, Kevin Lin (Honorable Mention)

2nd place Algebra II team: Samantha Allen, Nika Daryooni, Mei Lin, Valeska Lobo, Bianca Marks, Aaron Roberts, Edwin White (14th place).

1st place Comprehensive team: Melanie Allen, Lucky Baker, Kevin Brawley, Sam Brotherton (11th place), Jim Creager, Jonathan Johnson, Allyse Keel, Nayoon Kim (Honorable Mention), Jacob Kovac, Amy Lanchester (Honorable Mention), Rochelle Lobo, Kevin Masters, David McCalley, Patti Murphy, Sophia Newton (Honorable Mention), Bijal Patel, Steven Rouk, Tyler Sigwald, Jesse Smith, Khaliliah Smith.

March 31, 2007, JV State Math Tournament, College Park.

March 31, 2007, JV State Math Tournament, College Park. 8th place team: Layla Bouzoubaa, Nika Daryooni, Jonathan Johnson, Kevin Lin, Bijal Patel, Kunal Patel, Aaron Roberts, Edwin White.

April 28, 2007, GCTM Varsity State Mathematics Tournament, Macon.

2nd place team overall and AAAA Champions: Sam Brotherton (4th place), Nayoon Kim (8th place), Amy Lanchester (6th place), Steven Rouk (15th place).