A group of Grade Nine students from Niverville Collegiate recently earned the title of provincial champions for their skills in mathematics.
On April 17, the group participated in the Newton Contest, a national math competition run by Mathematica Centrum. In each province, one school per grade level is named provincial champion based on the combined scores of each school’s top-three student scores.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” says math teacher Helen Schapansky. “These students work very hard throughout the school year and their dedication really paid off.”
Each spring, Mathematica Centrum runs a separate math contest for every grade from third to ninth. Niverville Collegiate had 46 students participate at every level from Grade Five and up.
Every year, says Schapansky, motivated students participate in weekly sessions to learn and practice math skills. No matter the age of the student, the math they study for the contest is always challenging beyond the student’s grade level. The students in Grades Five through Eight are coached by Schapansky, while the Grade Nine students work with Gerald Negrave.
Of the champion Grade Nine students, the top finisher was Jaxon Peters, who ranked one hundred forty-fifth in the country, putting him in the top seven percent. In Grade Seven, Kade Peters finished in the top three percent, ranking at 201 out of approximately 8,000 Canadians who took the test. Similarly impressive was Landen Buhler’s finish in the top four percent of all Grade Six participants.
All three students earned a medal as the top finishers for their school. Joining them as school champions for their grades are Ryan Smeltz for Grade Five and Damien Dalupang for Grade Eight.
A Trend of Math Excellence
This isn’t the first year that Niverville students have done exceptionally well in the math competition. In fact, it seems to be a trend.
In 2017, the Grade Nine students claimed the title of provincial champions as a team, and Kyra Kwiatkowski was named individual provincial champ. Back in 2008, the Grade Nine students also earned the team provincial championship, not to mention the fact that the top two individual spots went to NCI students Brent Warkentin and Tobi Ann Jolly.
So what is it about NCI that has resulted in such achievements? Schapansky, who retires this summer, gives the credit to the kids’ enthusiasm and school support.
“These kids are so motivated to learn,” says Schapansky, smiling. “In June, they were already asking me about next year and when they can sign up for next year’s math contest. I think there is great value in being part of a team, and in celebrating excellence, which is what we do.”
She also notes that the school sets students up for success in math by offering numeracy support. The school also gives the students opportunities for math enrichment by participating in this voluntary competition.
The extra hours spent learning math skills aren’t just important in terms of individual scores, nor in terms of the contest, Schapansky adds.
“Math is a skill that is useful on its own,” she says. “But it’s also a great way to train your brain to think logically and analytically and to solve problems. And then, of course, that transfers to all sorts of other skills.”