A penguin number is a positive integer that is not divisible by 2, 3, or 5, but is divisible by 7. What is the sum of the 3 smallest penguin numbers?
If you were able to solve the math problem above, you might be ready for the citywide School Without Walls Math Competition. Five E.L. Haynes Middle School students were selected to compete against 150 other top math students from middle schools across DC. Students attended extra math practice outside of math class to prepare for the competition. “During practices, we worked together to solve complex problems provided by the competition organizers,” shared eighth grade Math Teacher Shayna Druckman.
Eighth graders Robert C. and Natalie P., seventh graders Raquel L. and Brian Q., and sixth grader Gerick M. arrived at the competition site in Foggy Bottom at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, ready to compete. Hosted annually by high school Math Club members at School Without Walls, this was the first time that Haynes participated. “We are pioneers!” exclaimed Gerick M.
The competition started with an individual round. Each student completed a packet of math problems on their own. “It was kind of lonely at the end of the individual round,” said Robert C. Of the 150 competitors, only 15 scored high enough to move on to the next round—and the math problems were not easy. One organizer stated that the packet was so difficult that no competitor scored higher than 90%. Of the E.L. Haynes team, Robert C. made it the farthest, securing the #12 spot before being eliminated. “I didn’t expect to go that far. The questions were hard, and I had to guess on five of them,” he said. Brian Q. was proud of his performance as a starting point for future learning. “It is nothing to be ashamed of. I am not as experienced as the other students, and I thought of it as getting a headstart on my next grade.”
After the individual round, the five Haynes students competed in the team round as “Team Mountain Climbers,” coined by Natalie P. Sixth grader Gerick M. enjoyed the team round more because “the 8th graders were able to help me with the math that I didn’t know.” For future Haynes competitors, eighth grader Natalie P. recommends, “working on statistics and geometry to prepare for next year’s competition.”
“The 8th graders were able to help me with the math that I didn’t know.”
Gerick M., 6th Grade
Natalie P. wanted to compete because this is her last year at the middle school, “and I wanted to do something that I would be remembered for.” Raquel L. decided to compete because of her mom. “She encouraged me to take on the challenge of entering this competition,” said Raquel. Cheering her on from the crowd that morning, Raquel’s mom confirmed that she encouraged Raquel to take a chance, “Life is full of challenges. If she can take this one on, she will be able to tackle more difficult things in the future.”
“Life is full of challenges. If she can take this one on, she will be able to tackle more difficult things in the future.”
-Mom of Raquel L. (7th Grade)
Congratulations to all our mathletes for owning your learning and pushing forward to achieve excellence!
Written by Nicole Clark | Nicole teaches 7th grade Social Studies at E.L. Haynes.
Editorial Fellows are E.L. Haynes staff with a penchant for storytelling, writing, and the visual arts. Fellows develop and publish original stories that amplify the many voices and perspectives of the E.L. Haynes community.