Five coaches plus four grades plus 40 students equals one Math Team.

Meeting weekly on Thursdays in Room 2379 the team welcomes students who truly enjoy math and think about problems in ways others never would, Bryan Cope, Math Teacher and Math Team Assistant Coach, said. Members can discover new topics and enjoy an unstructured environment that still revolves around math and learning, Cope added.

Math Team members learn new topics from their designated coach, depending on their grade. Anyone can join the club, but students who are strong at math and have a liking for it are usually the ones to join, Cope said.

“Some people that are strong in math but aren’t the strongest student in their class are intimidated, [think they] could never do anything on math team,” Cope said. “However, people can contribute, and be successful, even if they aren’t the top student.”

Students have the chance to compete throughout the year. The year’s competitions are split into two sections, Cope said. The first section is in the fall, where Math Team competes against four schools per meet through The North Suburban Math League, Cope explained. In the spring, the team competes in the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, making their way through the regional competition, and if qualifying, the state competition, Cope added.

“[Before competitions, I tell the students], try to avoid simple mistakes like not reading carefully or silly computational mistakes,”

Not all Math Team members get to compete at the meets, junior Kamraan Kadakia, Math Team Member, said. Interested students take part in a qualifying test before competitions, the top five scorers in every grade level get to compete, and a few alternates are chosen out of the rest, Kadakia explained. However, students that join the team do not have to compete and can still learn new things, Cope added.

Encouraged by his friends to join, junior Ohan Harabetian, Math Team Member, attended his first meeting as a freshman, he said. After two years on the team, Harabetian has made numerous connections and created lasting friendships.

“It’s very fun to go to the competitions,” Harabetian said. “You [bond] with [the teachers and students] there. Everybody is supportive even if you    aren’t competing.”