Chinese Language School of Connecticut Open House will be on March 26 and April 23 2017

For approximately an hour each Sunday afternoon, three groups of “Mathletes" gather at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut to solve puzzles, play games and socialize.

One can hear a pin drop on the floor after the first 5 minutes class. This is because each participant is deep in thought, trying to solve the latest challenge put before them by Greenwich Math Club Program Director Dr. Lisa Yiqun Yin. Dr. Yin who holds advanced degrees in applied mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Peking University in Beijing, the math program was started in 2016 to introduce young students to pure math concepts and competition math.

While the younger students solve puzzles and practice mental agility, the more experienced, older participants attack difficult problems with support from Greenwich High School and Brunswick school mentors Derrick Xiong, Jovita Li, Kevin Tu and Steven Ma. These high school students from Greenwich are winners of prestigious math competitions and are among the top math students in the US.

Working on difficult problems will prepare young students for one of two directions. The first is for the American Mathematics Competitions 8 and10 test which are nationwide contests which takes place during March each year. Another goal is for a deeper understanding of math concepts which are not taught in private or public schools in Connecticut.

Additional advanced topics are introduced for each level such as Number Theory, and Harmonic Means by Smith College Student Emily Myers who also teaches the introductory classes. After an hour, the Mathletes are reluctant to leave. Squeals and laughter fill the hallway as parents chatter and students make plans for next weeks’ session.

To find out more about learning Chinese as a second language and the Greenwich Math Club please sign up for the CLSC annual OPEN HOUSE on March 26 at: www.chineselanguageschool.org