Mathletes of the πr2 Table
Bergan’s math club has been a thing for a few years now, but it is just starting to pick up this year. Interest in the Math Club has been sparked by the students themselves and has helped to increase the numbers joining. It is still a small club with about 10 students; however, last year’s team had three students. With the growing interest in math club, I sat down and asked Karl Fryklind, the coach of the club, some questions.
How well do you think the math club will do this year?
“I think the math club will do well this year. The primary purpose is to foster an interest in math and improve proficiency. Really, they are not competing against other teams, they are competing against themselves. Just trying to see how much you learn and understand concepts, and how much you can appreciate the internal beauty of mathematics.”
You volunteer your time for the math club, do you enjoy doing it?
“Not necessarily doing it, I enjoy the results. I enjoy seeing people do well. I enjoy seeing people understanding the concept. I really just enjoy people seeing the nuances in math.”
How can people like alumni see news about the math club?
“In the past I’ve sent the results and information to Mr. Rainforth, and he has posted them. We can easily do that this year also.”
I also wanted to ask a student that participates on the math team some questions. Therefore, I asked Joanne Shin some questions about the math club "What is your favorite thing about the math club?”
My favorite thing about math club is going to the competitions. I enjoy the competitive atmosphere at the competitions. It really challenges your thinking.”
How well do you think the team will do this year?
“I think the team will compete very well considering we are a small school going up against very large, public schools. Also, Last year we only had 4 team members, but this year we have 10.”
