Our Experience at Math League Nationals By: Anoohya and Apoorva Panidapu
Abornschool
Our Experience at Math League Nationals
By: Anoohya and Apoorva Panidapu
We, the Aborn Institute students representing Tom Matsumoto and Carolyn Clark, arrived enthusiastically as a group in matching red polo t-shirts to the SEC Auditorium at University of Houston, Texas. We entered the colossal auditorium, chose seats neighboring our teammates, and after all the hustling and bustling, finally settled down. The hall was crowded with kids and parents. Meanwhile, Mr. Tim Sanders, the founder and President of MathLeague, was directing parents to different places to grade papers later on and choosing his proctors. After a few clamorous minutes, we began our testing.
Our first test, Number Sense, consisted of 80 problems with no more than 10 minutes to complete, a task that required focus and skill,however, no calculators were allowed. The proctors passed out the sheets folded, and we stuck on our student ID stickers and got ready with our pencils poised over the paper. “GO!” Quickly unfolding our paper, we started scribbling down answers as swiftly and neatly as we could. Time flew by, and sooner than possible, the proctor yelled, “Pencils down!” and our papers were collected, we had all finished the eighty questions. We all felt pretty confident about our Number Sense, as it consisted of simple mental math calculations.
We waited expectantly for our next round, the Target test. In Target, there are 4 pairs of 2 questions, and for each pair you are allowed six minutes,. With each problem the difficulty increased. It included coordinate planes, Algebra, probability, and some other difficult concepts. We did our best. After this round, we had a small break in which we conversed about the test and how we thought we had scored.
Eventually, we had to go back to our seats and wait for our next test, which would be Sprint. In this test, you have 40 minutes to complete 30 questions, multiple choice. The first few questions were easier and got harder towards the last few questions. It was difficult for our 3rd and 4th graders, and was the toughest round of them all. In a flash, the time was up and we were on to the next round, the team round.
In the Team Round, your team has 20 minutes to complete 10 questions. We had 4 teams representing Aborn Institute. Team 1: Kaitlyn Wang, 3rd grader, Team 2: Arianna Cao, Apoorva Panidapu, Alex Dong, and Praneeth Tummala, all 4th graders. Team 3: Brad Z. and Andrew Wong, a 5th and 6th grader. Team 4: Anoohya Panidapu, Ralphie Cao, Alex Gu, and Kevin Wang, one 6th and 3 5th graders. Working on problems we excelled at, the teams were able to complete a decent amount of problems. The test consisted of several Algebra problems, coordinate plane problem, geometry, and others. Finally, our testing was complete. We practically ran out of the room, eager to get outside and very happy the test was complete. We discussed about the questions and answers on the test and we all felt we gave our best.
We discovered a delightful surprise, the parents had bought pizza for us! After feasting on the scrumptious treat we went inside the building, not only for shade from the blistering heat of Texas, but also to play! We enjoyed playing hide and seek in a humongous theater style classroom and were on cloud 9!
After three hours of grueling testing, and a small break, finally, it was time for the Banquet and Awards Ceremony. We snapped a few photos, and entered the majestically decorated banquet hall. Taking our seats, we glanced at the table, and sitting there was a plate of salad, ranch, water, ice tea and a slice of chocolate cake. During our dinner, Tim Sanders gave his remarks and shared the statistics of Math League participants for 2015. After our meal, a guest speaker, Gail Berry, told a ten minute joke,
.
Eventually, it was time for the long awaited AWARDS CEREMONY! Our hearts were pounding as they announced the Top Ten students in each grade. We cheered so loudly when Aborn Institute students won, that the tables were shaking. Every grade starting with 4th grade won a place in Nationals, 4th grade (4th place), 5th grade (3rd place) and 6th grade (8th place). And one 4th grader was tied with the 10th, and another 4th grader was the 11th with 0.5 away; one 5th grader was the 11th with 0.25 away; one G6 grader was the 12th with 1.75 points away. Then, after announcing the Top Ten students in each grade, they moved on to Sweepstakes. In Sweepstakes, they combine the scores of a team of four or less students, divide it by four, and add the actual team test score. One of our teams made it, the members of the team could hardly believe that they had gotten third place, in Nationals! Another younger team with all 4th graders was the 10th place overall. It was a wonderful achievement for AI as it was a tough competition from all states, especially Texas, California, and New Jersey. All AI students made it on the Top 20 even though some didn’t make it on Top 10. We will go back stronger, for sure, next year.
Overall, it was an amazing experience for every student that participated and the parents that accompanied them. There was a lot of pressure, but we were able to have a good time and relax, which was an important thing for us to keep calm. This was a great opportunity for all of us, and we will remember it forever.
We are very thankful to our coach, Ms. Chen, for encouraging, teaching, and motivating us. Let’s just say, AI students rock!
