Members of Team A from Lowndes High School captured first place in the annual Mathematics Tournament held recently on South Georgia State College’s (SGSC) Waycross Campus. A total of 114 students from seven high schools – Brantley, Charlton, Georgia Christian, Lowndes, Pierce, Valdosta, and Ware – competed in the event. Students participated in individual and team competitions.
The individual competition featured a 75-minute, 40-question multiple choice exam that covered topics in the high school curriculum – algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus. Joyce Liu of Lowndes High School captured first place in the individual competition. Dhairya Patel (Valdosta), Andrew Spradley (Brantley), Powell Strickler (Lowndes), and Reilly Lennon (Lowndes) rounded out the top five individual winners.
The top two scoring teams from each school on the written exam competed in a team-oriented “ciphering round.” The teams were given the same ten questions and three minutes to answer each one. The number of points awarded was determined by how fast the teams could answer each question correctly.
A combined score from the written exam and the ciphering round determined the overall team winners.
“This tournament is an opportunity for our institution to recognize academic talent within our region,” said Dr. Lisa Howell, professor of mathematics at SGSC and tournament coordinator. “It encourages students to have a continued interest in the areas of math and science.”
In addition to Lowndes Team A, other team winners were Valdosta Team A (second place), Pierce County Team A (third place), Brantley County Team A (fourth place), and Lowndes Team B (fifth place).
Christina DiTomasso and Daniel Drummond, coaches for Lowndes High School, were presented with the Dr. Barbara Losty Coach Award. The award is named for the second president of the former Waycross College.