VHHS boasts the largest math tournament in Alabama, attracting more than 1000 competitors annually. Even schools from Georgia and Florida compete. Of course, such a big tournament requires lots of work and preparation beforehand. It is considered the exam for the math team, so the stakes are high!
The math team writes problems for each tournament early in the spring. There are 6 grade levels (6th grade through comprehensive/precalculus) each with a written exam (standard multiple choice, 25 questions) and a ciphering (fast free response, 20 questions), so the math team needs to produce many problems. With a rigorous vetting process, Mr. Taylor aims to compile tests with a wide range of problem subjects and difficulty.
The editing process extends into the fall as the tournament date approaches. Tests are triple-checked for ambiguous interpretations and typos. Mr. Taylor sometimes replaces faulty test questions with standby problems from previous years.
Unlike most tournaments, a VHHS math tournament competitor doesn’t need to bubble their name on the scantron. To prevent scoreroom errors, math team students, sponsors, and helpful volunteers painstakingly bubble in all 1000+ names before the tournament. Then, the math team sorts papers, cleans rooms, and prepares the presentations. Mrs. Gifford’s treats and fudgies definitely sweetened the workload!
On the big day, the math team, ambassadors, and volunteers arrived at 7:30, ready to work. Students held a variety of jobs: proctoring, sorting, grading, managing the slideshow, running the ciphering.
During the tournament, Ryaan Singh and Andy Sheng enlivened the crowd with their energy and jokes from classic puns (“Why don’t skeletons get into fights? Because they don’t have the guts!”) to original jokes (“What do you call an old snowman? Water.”) that will make you think.
John Lee Wimberly even led a Christmas carol sing-along with other math team members to cheer up the crowd. He “thought it went pretty smoothly” and “created a more comfortable atmosphere with the jokes and Christmas carols.” Math tournaments can be intimidating, so the tradition of jokes and light-heartedness at the VHHS tournament will certainly inspire more people to love math.
During the closing ceremony, Andy and Ryaan delivered a thoughtful speech to the crowd, encouraging the students to keep “solving problems” and thanking the math teachers for “making a difference.” The math team is certainly thankful for our amazing sponsors and each other. All went well, the participants enjoyed their time, and we passed the “exam” with flying colors.