Holy Family Catholic Academy Repeats Two-1st Place Finishes at Math Competition

Holy Family Catholic Academy (Inverness) earned 1st place honors in both the team and individual categories at Carmel Catholic High School's Math Contest for the second consecutive year.

The Academy's 8th grade math team won first place in their category, with individual honors also awarded to 8th grade student, Christopher Kull of Palatine.

This is the 24th year that Carmel, a college prep Catholic high school in Mundelein, has sponsored this event. This year's competition took place on February 22, and included over 170 participants from 17 different Catholic and public middle schools from Lake and Cook counties. The contest tested the students' knowledge of Pre-algebra, Algebra I and basic Geometry.

Holy Family's Principal, Mrs. Kate O'Brien, points out that Carmel's team format is consistent with the school's emphasis on collaborative problem solving. "Our 21st century curriculum stresses the ability to work in teams and use critical thinking skills to solve problems. We begin to expose our students to the "4 C's" of creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration in kindergarten and continue to hone those skills through eighth grade."

According to Mr. John Titterton, Chair of Carmel's Math Department, "Holy Family Catholic Academy always puts in a great effort. It is clear that they are doing an outstanding job in math education."

Next year, the Holy Family will be offering 7 different math classes for a middle school population of less than 100 students. The classes include general math, Pre-algebra, Algebra I and Algebra II. "Our small class size allows us the flexibility to tailor instruction and challenge all of our math learners," states Academy math instructor, Mrs. Meredith Canali. "We place our students in math courses according to ability rather than merely grade level."

Concludes Mrs. O'Brien, "Carmel's math competition is a wonderful way to affirm our innovative curriculum and the hard work of our students and faculty. We can't wait to try for a three-peat!"