FC students to participate in annual mathematics event
On April 26 the FC math department will be taking part in Math Field Day at Fresno State. Math field day is an annual event hosted by the Fresno State Department of Mathematics. It consists of five diverse math games in which there is a first, second and third place winner. The events range from simple to complex and may include a partner. FC has students registered to participate in all events this year.
Michael Fenton, head of the FC math department, feels that Math Field day offers a unique opportunity for students to engage math in a environment outside of a school setting.
“I think this is a great opportunity to experience math outside the classroom,” Fenton said. “It?s also nice to support FC and compete. It’s good for those students who are at the top of their class to see that there?s an even higher level of math out there.”
In contrast to past years, schools are only allowed to bring twenty selected students from the high school and junior high. It is estimated that approximately 400 students from the Fresno Area will attend in all. The decrease of students allotted per school is due to the amount of volunteers available this year.
Since FC’s first math field day in 2007 the school has won several awards both by individual students and as a collective group. Over the last ten years the junior high has won first place five times and the high school won first in the small school division.
Math Field Day contestant, Tyler Laird ,’14 anticipates being challenged at this year’s contest. He says that although the questions are difficult, he enjoys Math Field Day.
“I did the leap frog contest last year and some of the questions were pretty hard,” Laird said. “Hopefully it will go well this year. In junior high we got second place which was a pretty nice victory. Overall the event is usually pretty fun.”
Fenton has high hopes for the FC team this year. He believes that students will give their uttermost effort to achieve the goals set before them.
“I’m hopeful that we will at least place in each division,” Fenton said. “It would be nice to get to first place overall again for the junior high. A long term goal would be that the high school team would win the overall award. I?m not sure if it will happen this year or next but we will give it our best shot.”
Those selected for math field day come from advanced and honors classes. However, for many this will be their first time attending the event. One of these said persons is foreign exchange student and Algebra 2 Honors student Olivia Tandadjaja. Tandadjaja is excited to experience the event and discover the skill level of other students her age. She also admits that she is slightly nervous.
“I feel really excited just because it?s my first big event here at FC,” Tandadjaja said. “I want to see how the competition’s skill level is. I?m a bit nervous because I tend to get nervous and then do poorly during competitions. However, I’m going to try to have a nice experience and not focus too much on winning.”
Math field day will also coincide with the annual Vintage Fair at Fresno State. For more information contact Michael Fenton or the high school office.
For more news, see the April 22 article, BreakAway challenges students to service
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