The Math Team is a highlight of the clubs at ETHS, providing students with the opportunity to sharpen their math skills in a competitive environment. Students on the team regularly connect with peers, solve complex problems and develop better creative thinking skills that will be useful in and out of the classroom.
Members meet every week, collaborating in groups or independently working on challenging problems to help them get ready for competitions. According to a sophomore on the team, each practice starts with a worksheet handed out by the coach. The coach then explains how to solve the problems. The group works for 45 minutes, meeting once a week. The practices are separated by grade level, as each level practices a different area of math.
“Students can ‘level up’ and compete in upper grades, but no one can compete in a lower grade,” said coach Andrew Segal.
The focus of each practice is to master that grade level’s respective area of math, such as the geometric probability Segal teaches his sophomores.
We learn how to convert problems to lengths, areas, or volumes, and use those calculations to determine the probability of an event,” Segal explained. “The workload outside of class is not that heavy, but because students are learning math that they do not learn in a regular math class at ETHS, they are encouraged to study in preparation for competitions.”
Competitions, known as meets, happen once every 4 to 5 weeks and are an opportunity for students to show off what they’ve learned.
“They start by putting us into one classroom, where we wait to be called to another classroom,” explained a Math Team member. “The second classroom is where the actual competition takes place and problems are completed. We then go back to the first classroom and wait to be called to the cafeteria for awards.”
“We have five league competitions each year (ETHS will host one in February) with the final one involving all 55 schools together at a single site,” said Segal. The league that ETHS is in is called the North Shore Math League.
The team was started in 1977 by math teacher John Benson. In honor of his legacy, the John Benson award is given to students who display a passion and love of mathematics similar to that of Benson.
The Math Team is one of ETHS’ most valuable opportunities for someone looking to indulge in math that goes beyond what is taught in the classroom. Being on the Math Team is something that builds lifelong skills, as members develop their critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, all while growing and competing as mathematicians.
