By Ryan Walsh
The Buchholz High School math team has added another national championship title to its already impressive collection. Earning a record-setting 304 trophies, these BHS mathletes conquered with a total score of 7,156 points, proving themselves to be the best in the country.
This win is the school’s 14th out of the previous 15 national competition placements. The Bobcats won their ticket to the national championship after taking home the prize in the statewide competition back in April. That win was their 15th.
BHS math teacher and Mu Alpha Theta team coach Will Frazer praised the team for its accomplishment, naming his older students in the Calculus/Mu division as some of the best he’s ever coached.
A strategy of divide-and-conquer allowed individuals to shine in their respective best categories, including calculus, analytics geometry, and logs and exponents. However, the common denominator for the team was the drive to win.
At first, the eventual outcome was not so certain. Starting behind in points after the first day of the competition, a small attitude adjustment made the difference.
“I think we had a lot of complacency,” Frazer said. “We had a team meeting that night and after that everyone really elevated their attitude and focus and we kicked it into high gear.”
The talk proved to be exponentially valuable, as the BHS team staged an improbable comeback in the following days, putting them in the lead over rival school American Heritage-Broward.
The competition, which took place this year in Alexandria, Virginia, is open to Mu Alpha Theta club members from over 2,400 high schools across the country. With more than 100,000 students already involved, the organization’s mission of promoting and inspiring interest in mathematics has been continuously realized since its establishment in 1957.
With this level of success, expect both Coach Frazer and the entire BHS team to multiply their success in the coming years.