Westfield Students Win Top Math Awards in National Competition

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Mathematics Department at Westfield High School announces the results of this summer’s Mu Alpha Theta national mathematics competition including the achievement of the First Place Blue Ribbon Award.

Mu Alpha Theta, the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society, attracted 56 high schools and two-year colleges from all parts of the US at National Convention at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in July. More than 600 students competed for four days participating in various mathematics tests.

Five WHS students competed in 39 different math tests, both individually as well as in teams.

In addition to the First Place Blue Ribbon Award earned in the small school category, three students were presented with four individual trophies:

• Fiona Gillespie, WHS junior - 3rd place in Alpha Gemini and 7th place in Systems of Equations (Pre-Calculus);
• Jeffrey Yang, WHS sophomore - 8th place in Theta Gemini (Algebra 2);
• and Michael Hauge – WHS senior - 14th place in Mu Differential Equations (Calculus).
• Seniors Alistair Kapadia and Nicholas Youssef also participated in the Mu Alpha Theta national competition.

“It all started when the Westfield High School team won an honorable mention for their results in Moody's Mega Math Challenge in February,” explained Zorana Culjak, WHS Math teacher who accompanied the students to both competitions. “The team was invited to participate in the Mu Alpha Theta National Convention with all the expenses covered by Moody's. We gladly accepted the offer, formed a Mu Alpha Theta chapter at Westfield High School, and organized a team which included three of the original members and two new recruits to travel to St. Louis,” stated Culjak.

“Congratulations to the students and to Mrs. Culjak for their commitment to Math and for earning multiple distinctions, including the First Place Blue Ribbon Award,” remarked Regina Kiczek, Supervisor of Mathematics K-12 in the Westfield Public Schools.

“I am immensely proud of these students and their adviser for their outstanding results and for representing Westfield High School so well on an esteemed national level of competition,” added Westfield Superintendent of Schools, Margaret Dolan.

— By Lorre Korecky

(Photo provided: Westfield High School students won the First Place Blue Ribbon Award as well as individual trophies at the Mu Alpha Theta national mathematics competition. Holding awards are WHS math competitors (l-r) Fiona Gillespie, Nicholas Youssef, Alistair Kapadia, Jeffrey Yang, and Michael Hauge, accompanied by WHS Math teacher Zorana Culjak. More than 600 students competed for four days participating in various mathematics tests.)

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