MATH TEAM 2014
New Mathematical Talent
CAPTAIN
JEREMY RACHELS (Mu Alpha Theta Secretary, State Team, ARML, Varsity MVP, Math Team Scholarship winner)
JEREMY RACHELS (Mu Alpha Theta Secretary, State Team, ARML, Varsity MVP, Math Team Scholarship winner)
FIRST LIEUTENANTS
RAY GARNER (Mu Alpha Theta President, State Team, Math Team scholarship winner)
MICHELLE ZHANG (Mu Alpha Theta Vice-President, State Team, Advanced Math MVP)
VARSITY TEAM MEMBERS
Abenet Addisu
Jeff Bang
Sidney Billingsly
Michael Bonar (State Team)
Salvador Castro (Precalculus MVP)
Dominic Dixon
Jordan Dobson
Jaire Duncan
Ashley Hong
Carlan Ivey
Samah Khan
Kelly Masters
Bethany Mays
Aqib Momin
Zaib Momin
Koi Riley
Ashley Robbins
Naomi Siddiquee (Calculus MVP)
Samer Yassin
JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM MEMBERS
Adaugo Achionye
Raeed Ahmed (Geometry MVP)
Ruslan Babkin
Andrew Bonar (JV MVP)
Elijah Cheban (Advanced Algebra MVP)
Erin Hardnett
Candace Hill
Tahmeed Hossain (Precalculus MVP)
Michelle Ibezim
Molly Niemczyk
The school year started with what would be the last time the Math Team class was offered. However, there were 6 juniors and 4 seniors in the class, and they made sure to use the class to their advantage!
Jeremy Rachels spent the year defending his state championship win from last school year, and engaging in his long-standing rivalry with David Stoner, a student from South Aiken High School in South Carolina.
The first tournament the team attended was the Luella tournament, where Jeremy challenged a few problems and solutions on the test. However, the next Saturday in November there was scheduled two tournaments: one at UGA and one at Mercer. Believing that David Stoner would be a UGA, Jeremy and the team decided to go all-in at Mercer. The strategy worked: Jeremy got first place at Mercer with a perfect score, and David Stoner did go to UGA (where he got first place with a perfect score)!
For the first time ever, joining the team this year was a student from RCHS! His name was Salvador Castro and he joined this year as a junior. He showed great promise, and ended up being this year’s Precalculus MVP.
Once again, we decided to attend the Vestavia tournament. Jeremy, Michelle, Ray, and Bethany piled into Garner’s van to take the first-ever calculus division tournament at Vestavia. Unfortunately, we forgot to stop and take a photo of our trophy at Vestavia, and we took one late at night during a stop for snacks!
The 2013-2014 Math Team class, October 1, 2013. Left to right, Naomi Siddiquee, Jeff Bang, Ashley Robbins, Ashley Hong, Sidney Billingsly, Carlan Ivey, Jaire Duncan.
The second place team at the Mercer University Math Tournament, November 16, 2013. Left to right: Michael Bonar, Aqib Momin, Ray Garner, Michelle Zhang (holding the team’s trophy), Ashley Robbins, Naomi Siddiquee, Jeff Bang, and Jeremy Rachels (holding his first place plaque).
LEFT: The second place winner at the Clemson Calculus Challenge, April 25, 2014: Jeremy Rachels.
RIGHT: The first place winner at the Georgia Southwestern State University Math Tournament, February 7, 2014: Jeremy Rachels.
The first place team at the Georgia Southwestern State University Math Tournament, February 7, 2014. Left to right Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels, Sidney Billingsley, Michelle Zhang, Naomi Siddiquee, Ashley Robbins, Ashley Hong, Michael Bonar, Jeff Bang, Ray Garner (holding the team’s trophy), Carlan Ivey, and Jordan Dobson.
February 6, 7, and 8 was a challenging three days. The team of 12 left Conyers on the 6th to travel to Americus for the Georgia Southwestern Tournament on the 7th, left Americus on the 7th to travel to Savannah for the Armstrong Atlantic Tournament on the 8th, and then traveled back home. The team placed in both tournaments, and Jeremy cemented his reputation around the state by placing first with perfect scores both days.
Some seniors wanted to attend the Furman Tournament again, even though David Stoner would probably be there. Jeremy, Michelle, Ray, and Ashley squeezed into Garner’s car and made the trip. The team placed first by only 1.5 points, but Jeremy again made a perfect score, and finally beat David Stoner, who placed second!
At the Middle Georgia Tournament, Jeremy again got a perfect score, but the big news was the Bonar siblings! They each earned their first high school math team trophies, Michael 4th place Varsity and Andrew 1st place JV!
So when the group of Jeremy, Michelle, Ray, and Michael piled into Garner’s car one more time for the Clemson Calculus Challenge, we were all hoping for another great result. Well, it was good, but David Stoner got his revenge on Jeremy -- David got the perfect score and 1st place, while Jeremy got second.
However, the most wonderful thing about this year wasn’t Jeremy’s many perfect scores (and that was wonderful too!), but it was how many students improved over the course of the year. This was Michael Bonar’s first year on the team, and he worked so hard to be better, his 4th place win was just as important as Jeremy’s 1st place. But there are also those who improved and never got a trophy, like seniors Michelle Zhang, Ray Garner, Aqib Momin and Ashley Robbins. They learned so much and ended up doing so well, the team would not have placed first or second at so many tournaments without them. And the juniors really started stepping up as well, which foreshadowed good things for next year.
Then there is the first time Ashley Robbins and Jeff Bang earned a trophy together. At the Georgia Tech Tournament, they sponsored a fun estimation challenge. In a large glass jar were jelly beans, and each team was allwoed one guess as to the amount of jelly beans in the jar. Ashley and Jeff studiously worked on this, and submitted their answer. Later that day, during the awards ceremony, we learned that they had not only come the closest, but had actually gotten the exact number of jelly beans! They were so proud of themselves, they insisted that the empty glass jar, with the paper containing their work placed inside, be placed in the team’s trophy cabinet! The glass jar is there to this day.
The second place team at the Armstrong Atlantic State University Math Tournament, February 8, 2014. Left to right (background): Michael Bonar, Aqib Momin, Jordan Dobson, Ray Garner, Carlan Ivey, Jeremy Rachels. Left to right (foreground): Sidney Billingsley, Ashley Robbins, Ashley Hong (holding the team’s plaque), Jeff Bang, Naomi Siddiquee, and Michelle Zhang.
The first place team at the Furman University Math Tournament, March 1 2014. Left to right: Ray Garner, Ashley Robbins, Jeremy Rachels, and Michelle Zhang.
The second place team and third place school at the Clemson Calculus Challenge, April 25, 2014. Left to Right: Ray Garner, Michael Bonar, Michelle Zhang, and Jeremy Rachels.
The fifth place team at the State Math Tournament, April 26, 2014, sponsored by the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Left to right: GCTM President Dan Funsch, Michelle Zhang, Jeremy Rachels, Mihcael Bonar, and Ray Garner.
November 9, 2013, Luella High School Invitational, Locust Grove.
14th place JV team: Adaugo Achionye, Raeed Ahmed, Ruslan Babkin, Elijah Cheban, Jordan Davis, Erin Hardnett, Candace Hill, Tahmeed Hossain.
2nd place Varsity team: Jeff Bang, Michael Bonar, Salvador Castro, Jordan Dobson, Ray Garner, Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels (1st place), Michelle Zhang.
November 16, 2013, Mercer University Mathematics Tournament, Macon.
2nd place team: Jeff Bang, Michael Bonar, Ray Garner, Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels (1st place and 3rd place ciphering), Ashley Robbins, Naomi Siddiquee, Michelle Zhang
December 7, 2013, Lassiter High School Invitational Math Tournament, Marietta.
12th place JV team: Raeed Ahmed, Ruslan Babkin, Andrew Bonar, Elijah Cheban, Erin Hardnett, Candace Hill, Tahmeed Hossain.
8th place Varsity team: Salvador Castro, Jordan Dobson, Jaire Duncan, Ray Garner, Carlan Ivey, Jeremy Rachels (5th place), Naomi Siddiquee, Michelle Zhang.
December 14, 2013, Vestavia Hills High School Mathematics Competition, Vestavia Hills.
4th place Calculus team: Ray Garner, Bethany Mays, Jeremy Rachels (3rd place), Michelle Zhang.
February 4, 2014, AMC
School winner, AMC10A: Ruslan Babkin
School winner, AMC12A: Jeremy Rachels
February 7, 2014, Georgia Southwestern State University Mathematics Tournament, Americus.
1st place 6A team: Jeff Bang, Sidney Billingsley, Michael Bonar, Jordan Dobson (3rd place), Ray Garner, Ashley Hong, Carlan Ivey, Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels (1st place), Ashley Robbins, Naomi Siddiquee, Michelle Zhang.
February 8, 2014, Armstrong Atlantic State University Mathematics Tournament, Savannah.
2nd place Varsity team: Jeff Bang, Sidney Billingsley, Michael Bonar, Jordan Dobson, Ray Garner, Ashley Hong, Carlan Ivey, Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels (1st place), Ashley Robbins, Naomi Siddiquee, Michelle Zhang (5th place).
February 15, 2014, Georgia Tech High School Math Competition, Atlanta.
40th place team: Raeed Ahmed, Ruslan Babkin, Jeff Bang, Sidney Billingsley, Andrew Bonar, Salvador Castro, Jaire Duncan, Tahmeed Hossain, Ashley Hong, Carlan Ivey, Bethany Mays, Zaib Momin, Ashley Robbins, Naomi Siddiquee, Michelle Zhang
February 19, 2014, AMC
School winner, AMC10B: Ruslan Babkin
School winner, AMC12B: Jeremy Rachels
February 22, 2014, College of Charleston Math Meet, Charleston, South Carolina.
1st place All-Day sprint: Michael Bonar, Aqib Momin, Jeremy Rachels, Naomi Siddiquee
March 1, 2014, Furman University Wylie Mathematics Tournament, Greenville, South Carolina.
1st place team: Ray Garner, Jeremy Rachels (1st place), Ashley Robbins, Michelle Zhang.
March 21, 2014, Middle Georgia State College Math Olympics, Macon.
2nd place JV team: Ruslan Babkin, Andrew Bonar (1st place), Elijah Cheban, Tahmeed Hossain.
1st place Varsity team: Ray Garner, Jeremy Rachels (1st place), Ashley Robbins, Michelle Zhang
5th place Varsity Team: Michael Bonar (4th place), Jaire Duncan, Samah Khan, Naomi Siddiquee.
9th place Varsity Team: Abenet Addisu, Dominic Dixon, Bethany Mays, Kelly Masters
April 25, 2014, Clemson Calculus Challenge, Clemson University, South Carolina.
3rd place team and 2nd place school: Michael Bonar, Ray Garner, Jeremy Rachels (2nd place), Michelle Zhang
April 26, 2014, GCTM State Mathematics Tournament, Macon.
5th place team overall and 2nd place AAAAAA: Michael Bonar, Ray Garner, Jeremy Rachels (4th place), Michelle Zhang
A team “selfie” taken at the Mercer tournament. “Selfie”? Or is that a “Groupie”? Or a “Teamie”?
A team “selfie” taken at the Vestavia tournament, December 14, 2013.
