EllaPlank

It is a normal routine for students to hear the results of swim meets or soccer games over the intercom during homeroom, but they rarely hear about the results of Marian’s own math club known as the Marian Mathletes. 

The math club was first established in the fall of 2017 when PreCalc students went to mathematics teacher Ms. Megan Han looking to start the club. Since then it has been a growing club for all Marian students.

Each season they have three to four competitions that each consist of a local and national level. The local competitions are held at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The national competitions are done at Marian and then the answers are sent in. 

This year at the UNL competition, senior Elizabeth Foreman tied for 19th place out of 844 students. This earned her the qualification for the Probe II competition. 

Marian did not participate in the UNO competition this year due to having the day off school. The national competition’s results are yet to be released. 

“I love going to math competitions because it allows me to meet other students who share my passions and also become closer with my fellow Mathletes,” junior Grace Sparwasser said. 

Other than being around other students who have similar interests at competitions, “Competitions are an opportunity to show how much you know which is a unique and fun experience,” Han said.  

The math club offers many different student leadership positions. Seniors Elizabeth Foreman and Jaimi Henton are the presidents of the club. Sparwasser holds the position of secretary and juniors Chizzy Okolo and Kenadie Rudloff are the public relation officers. 

Along with competing in competitions, Marian Mathletes also hold an annual middle school math competition for girls in grades 6-8. This year on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 8:30 a.m-12 p.m, Mathletes volunteered at this event by helping out with the competition, organizing a fun paper airplane competition and serving pizza for lunch. 

This year, St. Wenceslaus won the overall competition with St. Vincent de Paul coming in second. This event was sponsored by the family of Nancy Ricerri Major ’72 who had a great love and appreciation for math. 

The math club is more than just an ordinary club. “I think math club is such an important part of Marian because it allows students to really celebrate their math skills, and it encourages young girls to embrace their inner nerd in an empowering environment,” public relation officer Rudloff said. 

Just like athletics at Marian, the math club “provides students with an opportunity to spend more time with people who are also excited about the same thing,” Han said. If you want to learn more about the math club, reach out to Han or the officers.