Northbrook Junior High ​Students Shine in National Math Test

The following article was submitted to Patch by Terry Ryan, communications coordinator for Northbrook School District 28.

NORTHBROOK, IL - For Northbrook Junior High eighth grader Angela Zhao and her cohorts, practice makes practically perfect.

This is the third time Northbrook District 28 students have tested their problem-solving skills against students across the nation in the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competition 8. Angela has participated each time. This year, she scored among the top 1 percent nationally, missing just two out of 25 word problems.

“Math is not that difficult for me because it’s really logical,” Angela said. The sum of the top three scores also earned Northbrook Junior High a spot on the School Merit Roll.

The AMC program is dedicated to developing the next generation of problem-solvers through friendly competition, according to its release. The AMC 8 covers middle school mathematics concepts with 25 word problems. The three other top- scoring students at NBJH were John Raub, Mason Durst, Joanna Gusis.

“It’s just fun. I don’t know how to put it,” said John Raub, who is in sixth grade.Congratulations to all 16 students in grades five through eight who participated, including Connor Durst, Tacy Guest, Yeh Won Kim, Adrian Knyazev, Mariel Mudrik, Madeleine Noll, Lyla Nortman, Rachel Olshansky, Colin Roche, Gawon Yoo, Olivia Zhao, and Angela Zhang.

The top-scoring students, many of whom are also members of the Math Club and meet once a week from October through May, are now setting their sights on the next challenge, the MATHCOUNTS North Suburban Chapter competition on Feb. 4.

“I really appreciate their abilities in math,” said Becky Heller, the junior high Gifted and Talented Coordinator. “They are so devoted and enthusiastic.”

Photo courtesy of Northbrook School District 28: The four top-scoring Northbrook Junior High School students on the American Mathematics Competition 8 are, from left, John Raub, Mason Durst, Angela and Joanna Gusis. Eighth-grader Angela Zhao scored in the top one percent nationally.