Three Greenhill students earned awards at the Metroplex Math Meet on Jan. 27 at Fort Worth Country Day School.
Competing against students from across the DFW region, the team earned two gold medals and three silver medals, despite having only three team members compared to the other team’s six. Junior Justin Wu won silver medals in both the Pre-Calculus Open Division and the Calculus Open Division.
“I have always enjoyed doing math, and I have been competing since middle school,” Wu said.
As the leader of Greenhill’s math club, Wu says that he values collaboration and teamwork, which he noted were essential during the competition team’s rounds due to the group’s small size.
“We had to collaborate a lot, especially during the team competition where we discussed and solved problems together,” Wu said.
In the Algebra I Open Division, eighth grader Aarav Mehta earned a gold and silver medal in the Geometry Closed Division.
Mehta says he values the opportunity to work with older teammates, including Wu.
“Justin solved problems I could not even understand, and I gained a lot from working with him,” Mehta said.
Despite only having three team members, Mehta said their ability to work efficiently helped them during the competition.
“We did not have six people, so we had to rush through problems and collaborate,” Mehta said.
Middle School Math teacher Eric Schoonard says he was thrilled by the team’s success and dedication.
“It is great to see students doing math for fun and not for grades,” Schoonard said.
Schoonard says that several moments at the meet stood out to him, including tiebreaker rounds for medals.
“Justin had to go head-to-head with another competitor for one of his silver medals, and it all came down to one point,” Schoonard said.
The students say they are already looking ahead to future competitions. Wu says he hopes to continue competing in events like the UT Arlington Calculus Bowl, while Mehta is interested in preparing for the American Mathematics Competitions.
Schoonard says that he is excited to get more students involved in math-related events.
“We celebrate academic achievements in areas like debate or Quiz Bowl, and I think math deserves just as much attention,” Schoonard said.
