Every year, FC students who participate in Math teacher Michael Fenton’s honors or Advanced Placement math classes attend the annual Math Field Day. This event is held at California State University, Fresno, on April 26.

The FC high school and junior high math departments placed first in the small school division. The junior high received first place in the championships.

Junior Chris Grossman took third place in the HS Game Tournament which involved grades 9-12. Eighth graders, Celeste Counts and Erin Wilson took fourth place in the JH Leap Frog which involves grades 6-8.

Junior Higher Jared Coppola took first place in the JH Game Tournament, which involves grades 6-8.

“I got first place in the math game, it was really fun to participate in,” Coppola said. “I really enjoyed Math Field Day because we are able to introduce our math skills in a different environment. I like meeting new people as well, I knew a couple people who attended and it was fun event.”

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.”

Due to low volunteer staff, Fenton was only permitted to let 20 students attend Math Field Day. Approximately 400 students from the Fresno Area attended this event.

Those selected for math field day come from advanced and honors classes. However, many were attending the event for the first time. One of these said persons is foreign exchange and precalculus student Toby Pan.

Tom Jin and Pan took second place in the HS Leap Frog which involves grades 11-12.

“I participated in the Leap frog event,” Pan said. “The questions were pretty challenging, they required more brain work than the usual questions you’re faced with in China. Despite the difficulty I enjoyed myself and had a good time.”

Junior Micael Coit, attended Math Field Day and enjoyed the time spent with his fellow peers.

“It was a nice experience,” Coit said. “I was able to hangout with my friends, and even meet a couple of new people, since its my first year at FC, I was able to bond with my peers over our love of math.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @ivettedibarra

For more news, read the May 9 article, Campus community supports families in need