Scattered throughout the classrooms of Huntley High School, hundreds of students put their minds to work. Scratching at bright pieces of paper with the silver leads of their pencils, rapidly tapping buttons on their TI-84 calculators, they are solving equations at lightning speed.
On Saturday, Nov. 4, Huntley High School hosted their first Math Team tournament of the year, facing off against Hononegah, Grant, and Auburn High Schools.
Huntley took third out of the four schools, but at a very close margin of just six points. Hononegah came in first with 577 points, Grant in second with 574 points, and Huntley trailing close behind with 571.
Four of Huntley’s students were able to place in the top three of each of their events, including newcomer freshman Emily Schoepke, junior Lauren Wilcox, junior Brody Lauer, and senior Sarah Hart.
Hart scored an impressive 16 points on her exam earning her team some vital points. She also helped the team earn a place while paired with Lauer in a two-person exam.
Lauer, a frequent key component to the success of the team, placed first in the Algebra II test.
“Brody has consistently placed and continues to inspire the rest of us,” Wilcox said.
The juniors and seniors of the team proved to be a driving force, placing first in both the Algebra II and Pre-Calculus team events, while also filling up the podiums in the Junior/Senior eight-person event and the two-person event.
Shoepke took a top three student spot and aided in the placing of the Fresh/Soph eight-person team.
With a third-place finish, the team is feeling optimistic for the upcoming season especially with all the new talent joining the team this year and the productivity of recent practices.
“So far, the outlook on the season looks great, our Algebra II and Pre-Calc teams have done so well and we’re just getting started, so I think we’re going to continue to rock it,” junior Harini Marchadi said. “Our team, based on this tournament, is on track to be amazing and have a great season.”
According to coach Laura Jenkins, the general feeling among coaches and math team members has been overwhelmingly positive. They intend to perform ambitiously this season.
“We are contenders for first place in all of our meets, with the exception of state,” said Math Team coach Laura Jenkins. “With that in mind, that is our hope, but our number one goal is always to take first place at regionals in order for our whole team to travel and compete at state.”
The team is looking forward to the year, especially with the help of their coaches.
“Mrs. Jenkins and Mr. Thornley are always so supportive of the entire team,” Wilcox said. “They encourage us and the team really benefits from their positivity.”
