On October 18, 2024, members of the Braintree High School math team attended a math competition in Worcester at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“This was our first time being at the meet. Mrs. Wood, one of the math team coaches, just kind of told us on a whim one day, and then we said ‘why not, let’s go’” said senior math team member, Eric Le.
The competition featured an individual round and a team round that lasted 45 minutes each. In light of being a college-level competition, the problems aimed to challenge the student attendees.
“[In] the most difficult section of the individual round, I didn’t even get a single question, but I had gotten everything before it right, so it was a decent performance,” Le expressed.
Going into this competition, the Braintree contestants were inexperienced and unaware of what was to come as they hadn’t done any preparation beforehand.
“I’m fairly satisfied with how I performed considering me, and the three others for that matter, had next to no preparation. I feel like I could have performed better, [yet] there is always room for improvement” said Ash Mishra, senior math team member.
Even with this lack of preparation, the team didn’t perform horribly and actually ended up placing well.
“I am certainly proud of our team’s standings; we were recognized in the top 15 overall, with our school attaining 14th place out of 40 schools,” Mishra continued.
Additionally, this competition awarded a one thousand dollar scholarship to the Worcester Polytechnic Institute for every student who scored highest individually among their school. From Braintree High School, Eric Le had won the scholarship.
“Winning the scholarship doesn’t really change my mentality at all. I just want to keep improving at math everyday, regardless of any rewards or achievements I could get along the way,” Le explained.
Students, especially seniors, can benefit from college-level competitions like these in many different ways.
Math team advisor Mrs. Wood commented, “It’s a great way to connect with people who share a passion for math, tackle challenging problems, and maybe even discover new areas of interest. Being on a college campus can provide a glimpse into college life, [which can help] students envision their future education.”
The four contestants from Braintree High are all part of the current graduating class of 2025, which makes this experience one for the books,
“As I am a senior, there will be no next time at WPI for me, but I do hope to compete in some sort of math competition in college,” Le said.
Similarly, Mishra stated, “There is not really an “in the future” for events like this, though maybe in college I may participate in a few competitions as well.”
