MHS Juniors Among State's Top Math Students

juniors Jacob Neis, Heather Blundell and Wenfei Liu are among the top secondary math students in Minnesota. Neis qualified to be a member of the 2012 Minnesota All-State Math Team, while Blundell and Liu are vying for two spots on the team.

Neis automatically qualified to be a member of the 2012 Minnesota All-State Math Team due to his top 10 finish in the state math league tournament. He will compete at the annual American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) competition in June, a first for MHS. He is also the first MHS student to advance to the USA Mathematical Olympiad, which involves a nine-hour exam.

Blundell and Liu are training to become members of the All-State Math Team. The Executive Board of the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League selected them because of their outstanding achievements in mathematics during the 2011-12 school year.

The All-State Math Team engages in a number of unique mathematics enrichment opportunities, the first and most robust of which is the ARML competition. ARML is held concurrently at four U.S. sites, including Penn State, the University of Georgia, UNLV and the University of Iowa.  

The All-State Math Team consists of 45 students who will travel to Iowa and compete in the ARML competition as three 15-member ARML teams. This competition will be held on Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2.

Neis, along with 20 other students across the state, automatically qualified for the 45-member traveling team.

Blundell and Liu are among 45 candidates who will vie for the remaining 24 spots. They will train at Augsburg College with head coach Mike Reiners and other honorary coaches from some of the top math teams at the 2012 MSHSML State Tournament and selected All-State Math Team alumni.
 
This experience will allow the three juniors to gain valuable problem-solving experience during the training sessions, as well as form lasting academic relationships with other high-performing math students and faculty.