UPDATE May 4, 2012: Photos of Top 3 finishers in junior and senior categories.

Pictured here is the Top 3 finishers in the junior category of the regional portion of the B.C. High School Math Contest. Left to right: Rachel Wade (NorKam, Grade 10), Damian Halvorsen (South Kamloops Secondary, Grade 10), and Brian Langevin (St. Ann’s Academy, Grade 10). Halverson was first, Langevin second, and Wade third. For their efforts, each received a math book.

Pictured here is the Top 3 finishers in the senior category of the regional portion of the B.C. High School Math Contest. Left to right: Hayley Tomkins (South Kamloops Secondary, Grade 12), Keiran Rutherford (NorKam, Grade 12), and David Langevin (St. Ann’s Academy, Grade 12). Tomkins finished first, Rutherford second, and Langevin third. For their efforts, each took home a math book and a $1,200 tuition credit to TRU.

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The following article was published May 2, 2012

Dozens of high school math whizzes will be at Thompson Rivers University this week to write the regional final of the B.C. Secondary School Mathematics Contest.

The May 4 event will bring 71 students from 11 schools and 4 school districts to the Kamloops campus for what also doubles as a celebration of math and problem solving. The contest has a component for students in the junior grades (8-10) and those in senior (11-12).

A portion of the senior exam for 2011’s final.

“The day at TRU enjoyed by the final round of participants is really quite special,” said Rick Brewster, one of the TRU organizers and Chair of the Mathematics and Statistics Department at TRU. “These students may write many contest throughout the year, but this is the only event where they spend a day at the organizing university.”

Students from all over the region spend the day with professional mathematicians, but more importantly, they meet other kids who also enjoy math. The day includes writing the contest, lunch and puzzles, plus an enrichment talk before wrapping-up with the awards. This year Dr. Fok-Shuen Leung from UBC will present the enrichment talk to the students.

The contest was started 40 years ago by Cariboo College faculty member Dr. John Ciriani. The contest was copied by other colleges and eventually under the leadership of TRU’s Dr. Jim Totten the contest became a province wide event. This year more than 2,000 students across BC wrote the preliminary exam in March. The May 4 final round is being held simultaneously at colleges and university throughout B.C.

Bragging rights aside, top finishers in the preliminary or final round receive book prizes. As a bonus to the seniors, the Top 3 will receive a shared of $1,200 in scholarships to attend TRU.

Hosting the final round at TRU allows the students to learn more about what the university has to offer be it course offerings, instructors and faculty, class spaces, clubs, and student support services. As for jobs in the field, students learn that mathematicians can work in an array of jobs and careers such as education, business and management, government, engineering, law enforcement, research and development, medicine, operations research, actuarial science, and the military.

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from previous years.
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“Some of the participants may consider pursuing studies in mathematics, and hopefully TRU is on their radar,” said Brewster, adding that, “our top graduates get recruited by excellent grad schools throughout Canada.” Indeed the contest’s alumni includes several professors of mathematics.

Contest organizing chair Sonja Hot said the longevity of the event speaks volumes to the passion and dedication TRU faculty have for their profession and the bright young minds coming up. “The feedback from the students is wonderful,” said Hot. “When you hear ‘I didn’t think a math contest could be so much fun!’, you have a sense that we are on the right track for another 40 years.”

The four school districts to write at TRU will be School District 73 (Kamloops-Thompson), 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin), 58 (Nicola-Similkameen), and 74 (Gold Trail).

MORE INFORMATION
Dr. Richard Brewster
Chair, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Thompson Rivers University

phone: 250 828 5215