Math Monday: The Math League Is Wild About Numbers!

It's a good sign whenever 450 enthusiastic students can be brought together for a math competition:

Lots of enthusiasm plus 450 students added up to an exciting math tournament yesterday at Nyack High School.

The school hosted the 34th annual New York State Mathematics League Competition, drawing math-loving students from as far away as Long Island and Ithaca.

Participants competed in individual and team events, trying to solve a variety of math problems that required students to use algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and number theory.

Kristen Vitro, a junior at Clarkstown North High School, was among the members of the Rockland Math League to test her skills. Team members wore green T-shirts that read, "5 out of every 4 people have trouble with fractions," on the back.

"It's a lot of fun," Vitro said. "You get to meet a lot of people from around the state who really love math."

Barbra Sparber-Barnes, a tournament organizer and the president of the Rockland County Math League, said students hold local and regional competitions around the state throughout the school year.

"The best of the best come here," Sparber-Barnes said.

The Math League is an organization that is national in scope. Visit their website right here. -------------------------------See our latest education-related entries right here.