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Woodlands Academy MathCats make strong contest showings
Woodlands Academy's participation in this year's Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics' competition added up to multiple successes.
Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart’s participation in this year’s Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (ICTM) competition added up to multiple successes at two levels. Overall, MathCats team members from the all-girls college-preparatory high school in Lake Forest finished third in their Division 1A regional competition and then in eighth place at the state level.
Due to COVID-19 protocols again this year, students participated at their home schools for both the regional and state competitions. Results then were sent to ICTM officials who compiled them and determined awards.
Highlights include a second-place finish at state for Woodlands Academy’s Frosh/Soph Eight-person team following its second-place finish at the regional competition. In other events, the MathCats Algebra 1 team took second-place regional honors and finished sixth at state. Woodlands’ Algebra 2 team finished third at the regional level and 10th in the state competition while its Oral team placed third in regionals and 15th at state.
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Other regional highlights include a second-place finish by the MathCats Geometry team, second-place honors for the Frosh/Soph Eight-person team, a second-place award to the Calculator team, and third-place finishes by the Precalculus and Junior/Senior Eight-person teams. All of Woodlands Academy’s team competing in the regionals advanced to the state level.
Individual event highlights at the regionals include third-place finishes by freshmen Avery Drehkoff and Yue Pan in Algebra 1, third-place honors for sophomore Abby Hironimus in Geometry, and a fifth-place award to sophomore Aanya Sahu in Algebra 2. In all, 16 MathCats scored top-10 individual finishes at this year’s regional competition.
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“I’m so proud of our MathCats and club moderator Dr. Valerie Rickert for their achievements in the regional and state competitions,” Head of School Dawn Nichols, Ph.D., said. “They confirm Woodlands Academy’s commitment to teaching and leading our outstanding girls along the way to becoming empowered young women in career fields such as STEM.”
Woodlands Academy, again named Illinois’ #1 Best All-Girls High School in the latest rankings by independent research firm Niche, was also rated the state’s top all-girls school in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education for 2020, according to a study published in Newsweek. The magazine partnered with STEM.org to identify America’s 5,000 best STEM high schools.
According to organizers, the purpose of the ICTM contest is to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement, encourage independent study, stimulate interest in mathematics, and provide a wholesome meeting ground for students and teachers of mathematics through academic competition. It has been an annual event since 1980.
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Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It’s part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy’s identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org
