Math and competition meet with the Math Honors Society, or Mu Alpha Theta. The group does tutoring and competitions.

     “I wanted to provide an opportunity for students who enjoy and excel in mathematics where they could be recognized and encouraged to pursue their mathematical interests,” Math teacher and club sponsor Alyssa Pokorney said. “It also provides students an opportunity to share their love of math with other students while providing peer tutoring.”

         The Math Honors Society competitions are held at Missouri State University, College of the Ozarks and OTC Richwood Valley Campus. All members are required to compete in at least one competition. 

     “The Missouri State University Pummill Math Relays, the College of the Ozarks math competition, and the state meet is in April,” said Pokorney. “Then nationals will take place in May.”

    The competition consists of four rounds: sprint, team, relay, and target. Team round is 10 questions in thirty minutes. Each question is worth ten points, and calculators are allowed during this round. Sprint round is done individually. Students have sixty seconds to complete thirty multiple choice questions. Four points are awarded for each correct answer, and one point is deducted for each wrong answer. Calculators are not allowed during this round. The top six scores are averaged and added to their total points.

    “A relay consists of three questions, and each student will receive all three of these questions,” said Pokorney. “… A correct answer for question 1 is worth 2 points; a correct answer for question 2 is worth 3 points; and a correct answer for question 3 is worth 5 points. Thus each team can accumulate up to 10 points on each relay.”

     Calculators are not allowed during the relay round. The target round is an individual round consisting of eight questions each worth ten points. Calculators are allowed. 

    “I am looking forward to competing in a competitive event alongside my friends while representing Nixa,” senior Bryce Reeves said.

       The club hosts tutoring hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in room 235. They also assist tutoring at ELO in the Library on Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

   “Tutoring has been really enjoyable this year and it’s rewarding to see the kids understanding their subjects,” senior Victoria Carter said.

    Members need four hours of tutoring per semester, a GPA of 3.6 or higher, and 90 percent or better attendance.

    “I love seeing them share their passion for math with their classmates when they come in for tutoring,” said Pokorney. “They make a connection with these students while helping complete their homework or study for an upcoming assessment.”

    The club has meetings almost every wednesday where they do practice tests and go over material from previous competitions.

     “I encourage everyone at the school interested in math to talk to Mrs. Pokorney about joining for next year,” Reeves said.