A+B = FG: Fair Grove’s Math Masterminds
April 10, 2022
Mike Van Cleave assisting his students through a problem (Photo Credit Easton Beltz).
The Fair Grove High School’s Mathletes is returning to competitions across the area after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Math Tournaments are welcoming back many of their competitors across the state. Thus far, the Fair Grove scholars have participated in two of their usual our competitions in the 2021-2022 season. Camdenton, College of the Ozarks, Mid Lakes Conference, and Pummill Math Relays at MSU are all tournaments that historically the mathletes have competed in, but the 2022 season has only allowed the Mid Lakes Conference and Pummill Math Relays to come to fruition.
Tournaments are broken down into different sections of study for team competition. Most tournaments are broken down in Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced Mathematics. Team scores in each individual category will determine which competitors face off in the following round. The club’s sponsor Mike Van Cleave, FGHS math teacher, explained how each individual round is run. “Students will take a short test (typically around 20 minutes), and their scores will determine how they place against the other competitors. For team events students will collaborate and turn in one test per team,” Van Cleave detailed.
Stephanie Dugan (12) detailed a typical day at a math tournament. “A tournament usually entails going into the classroom dedicated to a certain math type (ex. Geometry) and taking a test. The point is to answer as many questions as possible correctly, and at the end of the tournament, the person who scored the best in that category gets a medal,” she explained. Dugan has been participating in every competition possible since her freshman year and hopes to finish her senior year out strong.
Fair Grove’s math team has been a club for many for years. Van Cleave has been sponsoring the group for years. “I have been a part of these competitions every year I have been at Fair Grove High, which is a long time,” Van Cleave explained.
Like many high school clubs, there are opportunities to make lifelong memories. Fair Grove math competitor Alivia Kimbriel (12) expressed her gratitude to her favorite math team memory. “My favorite memory is chasing and serenading a swan at College of the Ozarks. It feels like a lifetime ago, but I almost caught it,” Kimbiel reminisced.
With the end of the 2021-2022 season coming to an end, the students are preparing for their last tournament. The young minds predict to finish out strong at the Pummill Math Relays at Missouri State University on April 13th.