MATHCOUNTS 2016

February was MATHCOUNTS month all over the country.  BEAM sponsored teams at interested partner schools, making sure that students could participate without worrying about the cost of sending a team.  In all, we paid for teams to attend the competitions in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. 

We want to draw particular attention to 8th grader Kaya Moore who received an honorable mention at the Bronx MATHCOUNTS tournament.  Last week, Kaya found out that he will be attending the Bronx High School of Science next year.  Nice work, Kaya!

AMC 8 Results

As you may recall, students took the AMC 8 contest back in November, and we wanted to report on how they did!

The AMC 8 is a 25 question contest, and it's quite challenging.  This year, 149,277 students nationwide took the contest.  The median (middle) student scored 8 -- less than a third of the questions answered correctly!  To score in the top 25% percentile, students had to score at least 11.  Only 90 students across the world got a perfect score. 

Of the 12 students who took the contest, 9 scored above 8 questions correct, putting them above the nationwide average.  Good work, everyone!  We are particularly impressed by Ahmed, whose score of 13 puts him the top quartile nationwide. BEAM is sure this a sign of future success yet to come.  

Winter Party

With all of our important academic events, it's great to also make time for BEAM students to come together and just hang out!  Every December and June, BEAM hosts a party for students in grades 8-12 to get together with their friends, eat, and play games. 

It was wonderful to see old friends and new get together!  Enjoy some photos of students and staff having a great time together:

Saturday Office Hours

Every Thursday and one weekend a month, BEAM hosts "Office Hours".  Just as in college, students can bring anything they're working on and receive help or advice from staff and volunteers. 

Here's a list of things we worked on this weekend at Office Hours:

• Ayinde helped students prepare to take the SCAT next weekend, the first step to attending summer programs at the Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
• Amy helped Jahleel with Algebra 1
• Lynn helped Veronica with 8th grade math homework
• Ryan helped DeVaune with Geometry
• Dan led the monthly Math Team meeting, with the 8th graders preparing for MATHCOUNTS

Students also had time to take a break and eat a snack with friends. 

By the time BEAM students get to college, they will be in the habit of seeking out help as needed!