This school does not have a math club, and that is affecting its students in a very negative way.
For starters, a math club would challenge its members. The geometry problems seen in geometry class are less challenging than the ones seen in Mathcounts. Keep in mind, Mathcounts is a junior high competition. This is also true with many other math curriculums, so this club will challenge members to go above and beyond their normal math class.
The math club would also benefit its members with better college applications. According to the Carnegie Mellon University Admissions website, “We’re interested in seeing that you’ve challenged yourself within your secondary school environment.” Also, according to the Penn State application review website, “We take a look at the many roles you serve …” Both of these quotes show that universities clearly look for people who challenge themselves by doing extracurricular activities. If it is argued that there are many extracurricular activities at AAHS, there are zero related to math. And many studies, like one from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, have found that people who do math, and do it well will earn more money in their lifetime than others.
There are two math competitions held in the general area of Altoona, and only three or four people from Altoona participate in one of them each year. The two math competitions are the AMC 10/12 in the fall, and the Senior High Math Competition in the spring. The AMC 10/12 can be hosted by the AAHS, and the Senior High Math Competition is hosted by Penn State Altoona. So, there are two math competitions that this math club could travel to that the AAHS is missing out on.
“A math club that prepares for math competitions such as the American Mathematics Competitions 10 and 12 would give students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and learn to problem solve collaboratively,” senior Melissa Krainer said.
“I believe that having a math club in AAHS would be highly beneficial, especially to those who are interested in STEM oriented career choices or are just generally interested in mathematics,” senior Jamin Dong said.
So math lovers, let’s sum together and make this dream a reality.
