Year 10 Mathematicians excel at the Maths Feast!

by Izzy Dutton, Year 10

During this last term, on the afternoon of Tuesday 21st March, seven other Year 10 students and I took part in a nationwide Maths competition held at the North East Futures School in Newcastle.

The Maths Feast saw two St Thomas More teams and 15 other school groups from the North East compete for first place. The challenge was composed of 4 complex rounds all based around various mathematical ideas, largely problem solving. However quick learning was also required.

Tensions rose throughout the competition and after three rounds everyone’s scores were extremely close and the two STM teams had one point between them. A final round of Maths relay saw us pour all our Maths knowledge into our answers; the atmosphere was great albeit tense as we all wondered who would win. It had been so tight in previous rounds that we really had no idea.

With first place going to one of the other schools they were yet to announce 2nd or 3rd but incredibly the two STM teams came joint 2nd! This amazing feat was followed by the organiser telling us that we still got higher than many other teams in the country, even ones who won their regions, with our points being well over a hundred. A great team challenge to make us think differently about Maths rather than the conventional lessons; it proved a challenge and overall it proved to be a very fun afternoon!

The students involved were:

Luca-John Wynn

Izzy Dutton

Aoife Bland

Lily Anderson

Ben Humble

Max Hartis

Martha McIntosh

Thomas Whitehead