Lincoln learners move on to the Regional Math contest

On September 8, five students from Grade 8 to 11 will compete to move on to the final Argentine Math Olympiad (OMA) Nacional contest in November. Meet our thinkers and researchers. 

Growth happens with challenges and that’s what our learners seek every day. Lincoln Math Club is no exception. Seven students from Grade 8 and 11 sat the test for the Argentine Math Olympiad (OMA) intercollegiate contest in May. After taking the Zonal contest in June, five of them moved on to the Regional contest, which will take place on September 8th. They will compete to move to the final OMA National contest in November. 

What does Math Olympiad do?

Math Olympiad challenges learners in three levels, based on their grade level. With only three questions in each level and a maximum of three hours to complete the exam, our students put to the test their reasoning, common sense, and problem-solving skills, all in Spanish.  

“Students practice on their own as well as review past OMA problems in Math Club on Mondays after school,” Carrie Brinkman, High School Math Teacher, explained. She added: “I think that the students enjoy mathematics and have fun participating and seeing how well they can do in the competition.”

Math has always been one of my passions, as it is the way in which I can understand the world. - Juan, Math Club member.  

The math club to the rise

Now that they are up to an even bigger challenge, the question that pops up is: how are our learners feeling? Hear it from the club members themselves!

Why did you want to participate in these contests?

When asked this question, Jose answered: “ I like math, I wanted to challenge myself, and hang out with friends.” With the same mindset, Paula added: “I wanted to participate in the OMA because I love a challenge, especially math-related.”

Other students, like Juan, shared their rooted connection to math: “I’ve been participating in these contests since 5th grade in my old school. Math has always been one of my passions, as it is the way in which I can understand the world. Doing these competitions offers me a different style of mathematics from the one offered at school, and the challenge is really fun. In the end, I just do it for fun.”

Trust yourself. Don’t let the nerves pull you down, you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to. - Paula, Math Club member.

How was the experience?

“It was really fun to solve some different math problems out there,” Jose said with certainty. Her teammate Paula however, shared more of her take: “At the beginning I was nervous, but after they handed me the paper I forgot about the rest.”

Besides the excitement and nervousness, Juan was able to cherish the thrill of the competition: “This was not my first experience with the competition or with math competitions overall. The OMA competition has been the same since 2015. It always feels challenging, and the difficulty increases significantly as the stages of the competition go by, but that adds to the fun.” 

From all you have learned from this experience, could you share a tip with fellow learners?

“Students are allowed to use theoretical materials (except OMA's ones) so it won't be a bad idea to prepare some. However, don't struggle for that, just have fun and enjoy the math problems,” Jose advised. Paula’s tip is all about confidence: “Trust yourself. Don’t let the nerves pull you down, you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to.” 

Juan shared his intake: “Be a risk-taker. Take the initiative and look for opportunities to challenge yourself and learn new things. There is more than one way to learn, and it doesn’t have to be all in your classes. Find the things you want to learn and have fun challenging yourself with those things.” 

Why are our learners thinkers and researchers?

Drive and motivation. That seems to fit Jose, Paula y Juan. When asked about Lincoln learners, Paula said: “I would describe a Lincoln Learner as passionate, curious, and attentive.” 

Juan also offered his point of view: “I think that a Lincoln learner is diverse. That diversity is not only important in what Lincoln is as a community of diverse students, but also in what students at Lincoln learn.” He added: “Our learning has to be diverse so that we become knowledgeable. Taking the math competitions as an example, the students who participate in them experience different styles of mathematical thinking and problem solving than those taught in classes. That is part of that diverse learning, where Lincoln learners should aim to know different and diverse topics.”