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Lower School Math Team Participates in First Math Olympiad Contest
Enrich. Energize. Excite. These are the sacred values of the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS), one of the most influential and thrilling math competitions in the world. Established in 1979, the goal of MOEMS is to teach students multiple strategies for solving out-of-the-box equations and encouraging mathematical ingenuity and problem-solving skills. Over 120,000 kids from thirty-nine countries participate each year, and this year, thirty Fourth and Fifth Grade students at The Bush School will be competing in this enriching contest for the first time.
“I started this Math Olympiad group because there are so many mathematicians in K-5,” said Lower School Math Specialist Cathy Hamblet. “I realized that some kids like to interact with math competitively, and I wanted to give them a space to exercise their skills.”
Lower School students solve contest problems every Thursday before school and Cathy reports their scores to the Math Olympiad judges, who evaluate based on the scores of other school math teams around the world. Five contests are held, which began on Monday, November 11 and ends on Monday, March 3, 2025. The first contest entry will be submitted on Thursday, December 5.
Although the Math Olympiad program doesn’t require teams to meet for live head-to-head competitions, Catherine hopes to implement local competitions to provide the students with an all-encompassing experience.
“I know the Math Olympiad coach at a school up in Portland,” Cathy informed. “We’re trying to cook up a live competition for the kids, just so they can have that sense of being in a competitive space with another math team.”
Upper Elementary (Fourth and Fifth Grade) Students have been improving their decimal numerals and fraction comprehension skills to better prepare for the upcoming submission. The first problem to solve in the Math Olympiad competition is often a calculation problem, followed by a variety of algebraic thinking and number theory problems. During practice sessions, Cathy categorizes the problems based on students’ needs. If a student needs more assistance strengthening their algebraic thinking or number theory, they can choose what they would like to work on.
“The Math Olympiad problems are different from what they would see in a classroom,” Cathy said. “One of the things that’s refreshing to them is being able to collaborate with their fellow teammates. It’s fun for them to work together to figure problems out.”
Students involved in the Math Olympiad group have built connections with one another and fostered a sense of teamwork through communication and trust. The students are on one collaborative team, which has learned to appreciate the strength and individuality of all minds by inviting varied perspectives.
“We’re a highly inclusive math team,” Cathy said. “Anyone could join, no one was required to try out. You just had to come with a spirit of wanting to engage in math.”
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities
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