The Math Club at Liberty High School is celebrating its second major achievement of qualifying for the national math competition held in St. Louis on Sat., May 17. After participating in many competitions throughout the school year, the team placed second at state in March to secure their spot at nationals, placing sixth out of around 40 teams.
The Math Club focuses on four different categories: algebra, geometry, combinatorics and number theory. Combinatorics is about counting, arranging and organizing things. Number theory focuses on the study of integers and their properties.
Under the leadership of one of the team captains, Sophia Jin, 11, (she/her), the team has met on Wed. during Liberty Time to practice solving complex problems. Their dedication has paid off, as they have made it to nationals.
Last year, the Math Club only had two people on their team, but this school year, 2024-25, they can celebrate their achievement with a full team of six.
“We had a lot more meetings this year and did a lot more practices together, so teamwork contributed to the team’s success,” said Jin.
For Jin, her interest in competitive math started in fifth grade when she took an exam to skip math seven and go to pre-algebra.
“I passed my exam and got to go to pre-algebra at Northwest Junior High. At Northwest, the math club coach emailed me and asked if I would like to be a part of the math club,” said Jin.
From spending time as captain with the team, Jin has learned that in order to succeed, it’s important to put the team first and not just yourself.
Part of the team’s success is thanks to Michelle Baxter (she/her), a math teacher and one of the coaches who oversee the Math Club.
The Math Club offers plenty of new and interesting experiences for students to partake in.
“We have a variety of things that kids can do. We have students who design t-shirts, we have kids working on designing a mural in the hallway that leads to the courtyard, we have kids who organize the problem of the week and then we have kids who are much more competitive, math-focused,” said Baxter.
Some students in the Math Club are currently working on designing a mural for one of the student hallways. The idea is that the mural will be an architectural theme, focused on the Old Capitol Building in Iowa City. The mural is going to be the blueprint of the Old Capitol Building.
After months of preparation and an outstanding performance at nationals, the Math Club returns with unforgettable memories and new knowledge gained. Their performance shows that with dedication and passion for math, tough problems can be accomplished.
