Choate’s math team, helmed by math teacher David Doster, came home victorious on Thursday, April 3rd from the Connecticut State Association of Mathematics League (CSAML) contest. The six representatives—captain Yifan Cao ’08, Paan Wongrattananon ’08, Michael Lai ’09, Stephanie Choi ’09, Aditya Rajagopalan ’09, and Andi Wang ’10—brought back first place honors in the medium schools division in the form of a large trophy. Choate’s division was made up of high schools with 450-849 students enrolled in grades 10 through 12. Individually, Paan Wongrattananon won a check for $500 for placing second among seniors in the competitions. Stephanie Choi received a trophy for earning one of the top two scores among juniors.
These rewards did not come without a great effort. During the competition, each Choate competitor completed a rigorous set of problems, which were subdivided into seven categories: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Higher Algebra, Analytic Geometry, and Trigonometry and Complex Numbers. A final team round presented all the contestants with problems from all six categories. In the individual rounds, each student competed three times, completing three questions per round. The questions were worth one, two, or three points depending on the round. These individual rounds, in which calculators were not permitted, lasted ten minutes, after which the team rounds began, allowing ten minutes for six problems. Choate received three points for each correctly answered problem as a team.
The competition took place at New Britain High School and included schools from all areas of Connecticut. Hopkins School in New Haven, CT is traditionally Choate’s greatest rival in this math competition.
After Choate’s first place finish at the CSAML, the team has earned the right to compete in the New England Championship contest sponsored by the New England Association of Mathematics League (NEAML). The team will travel to Canton, Massachusetts on May 2nd to compete in the New England Championship, where Choate will once again compete in the medium schools division.
The Choate team almost had to compete without one of its most valuable members, Stephanie Choi ’09, who was competing in the Economics Challenge in Hartford on the same day. However, math team coach David Doster says, “Mr. Hartsoe kindly took Stephanie from her triumph at the Econ challenge in Hartford and dropped her off at New Britain High School just as we arrived.”
A strong showing at the New England Championship is not unusual for Choate. “With only one exception, the team has won the state contest every year since 1994,” said Mr. Doster. In addition, this victory follows a first place finish in the Greater New Haven Mathematics League season, a sixth place finish in the New England Math League, and a first place finish in the NEAML contests. With this advance, Choate will be competing against traditional math rivals such as Deerfield, Andover, and Lexington High School at the New England Championship. The math team has already started practicing for the regional competition.
The math team hard at work at the state championships. PHOTO/David Doster
