L to R: Samuel Pahk, Elizabeth Gates, Aneurin Hullah, Sahai Virk, and Ultraviolet Gates. — Photo by Daniel Hullah

By Elizabeth Gates

A team of four students from the West Somerville Neighborhood School Math Club participated in the 2020 MetroNorth Chapter Competition on Saturday, February 8, held at Veterans Memorial Middle School in Melrose. WSNS came in 9th place out of 20 participating schools.

The WSNS math team consisted of team captain Samuel Pahk (grade 6), Ultraviolet Gates (grade 7), Aneurin Hullah (grade 7), and Sahai Virk (grade 7).

The kids had a great time at the competition. “It was one of the most fun days of my life and I’m super happy that we placed so high on our first try, especially against Lexington,” said Violet Gates.

Mathcounts is the premier middle school math competition in the U.S., open to any students in grades 6 to 8, whether they attend public school, private school, or homeschool. Participating schools come from all 50 US states and territories, the District of Columbia, and even overseas US Department of Defense schools.

Much like the popular Scripps National Spelling Bee, or the National Geographic Bee, there are four levels of competition: school, chapter, state, and a final National Competition in May. The top individual at the National Competition will win the $20,000 Donald G. Weinert College Scholarship.

In addition to the competition series, Mathcounts also runs The National Math Club and a Math Video Challenge, both of which are free to registering schools and are a great way for both math-loving and math-fearing children to enjoy the subject.

The goal is to expose middle school kids to the fun and beauty of math, and to foster a love problem solving that will last throughout their lives. Many former participants end up volunteering as coaches when they grow up, including the coach of the WSNS math team, Elizabeth Gates.