CHAMPAIGN, Ill.–On May 4, the Lake Forest High School Math Team piled onto a school bus and began the trek down to Champaign to compete in the ICTM Math Contest, otherwise known as “state.”  This group of around thirty dedicated mathletes competed against dozens of other schools in subjects ranging from geometry to precalculus, and along the way succeeded in learning about teamwork and the quest for success.  “This was my third time going to UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign) for the state competition,” shared LFHS’ highest scorer, junior Robert Hammond.  “You will find no greater concentration of intellectual memory in any other high school event.”

As a team, the Lake Forest High School Math Team came in 10th in their 3AA division.  The LFHS team beat 11th place by the narrow margin of two points. Their calculator team placed 3rd in the division, while the Precalculus team (made up of seniors) also placed 3rd.  The junior Algebra II team placed 8th. “It was a great experience for competing on the state level, where athletes are normally under a lot of pressure to perform well and represent their school,” Hammond shared.  “However, everyone was able to enjoy themselves in the town and during competition. We even met with some old classmates that had transferred to other schools!” Robert placed eighth overall as an individual contestant.  The team placed 2nd in their league division (North Suburban Math League). Led by their dedicated advisors Mr. Aronson, Mrs. Lemke, and Mr. Goldstein, the LFHS math team not only learned how to solve for x and for areas, but they learned about teamwork, perseverance, and how to have a great time.