The Nixa Math Team competed in a variety of contests throughout the year, including State qualifying meets. Team members had the option of competing in all four of the Joplin contests, or only competing in one large contest held at Ozarks Technical Community College at the end of the school year. Many students who competed in the large OTC competitions had the opportunity to go to State, including Matthew Morris (10), Eli Zsiga (10), Zoey Walker (10), Callie Reeves (12) and Adelyn Janssen (12).
The process was difficult, but Math Team adviser Sara Garrison stood by her students every step of the way.
“You have to score in the top 10 percent in a qualifying meet to go to State,” Garrison said. “We attended two qualifying meets this year.”
While it was a proud moment for Garrison to see her students advance, she was not the only one proud of the accomplishments of the math team this year. Mathlete Matthew Morris worked very hard to get to state and was excited to compete at Missouri State University.
“I’ve always liked math so it is a great place to find others with the same interest,” Morris said. “[My favorite part is] being able to attend the team meetings and challenging myself with the practice problems.”
While State was a perk for the math team, Garrison said she believed that just being involved with the team can help a person grow on many levels.
“[Math team] looks great on resumes,” Garrison said. “It helps you solve challenging math problems and creatively think in math, which is helpful for standardized test questions like the ACT or SAT.”