Staff writer
Two teams of Marion High School students won contests Oct. 27 at the Donald L. Bruyr Mathematics Day at Emporia State University.
Patrick Hodson, Tim Costello, and Dillon Richmond were the winning algebra team in the 3A through 1A schools group.
Derek Stuchlik, Landon Leiker, and Dane Purkeypile won the math scramble.
“It was the first time a team from Marion had ever won,” Hodson said. “It’s cool for Marion to win two things in the same contest.”
The students were competing against 400 other students from 38 schools, including familiar foes Halstead and Inman, and larger schools Shawnee Mission East and Maize.
According to math teacher Gary Stuchlik, only one school in the 4A through 6A group bested Marion in the algebra and math scramble categories.
Teams had 45 minutes to answer 20 to 25 questions. Questions included:
- “Find the value of x so that (-1,3), (x,1), and (3,5) are collinear.”
- “An ice cream store offers a bowl with three scoops for $2.50. If you choose from 18 flavors, how many different bowls could you order?”
“The advantage is seeing how many smart kids are out there and if you are one of the best,” Stuchlik said. “They definitely felt like they were some of the smartest kids in the state.”