Larkin 'mathletes' let numbers talk

Exercising the muscle of the mind, Larkin High School "mathletes" recently earned a first-place finish in the Illinois State Math Contest.

Senior John Rot and junior Emma Davies won top marks for their oral presentation on the mathematics of voting methods, Larkin Mathletes head coach Liam Keigher said.

The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics event, held April 26 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, drew more than 200 high schools from across the state to compete in four divisions. Because of its large size, Larkin competes in the 4AA division, reserved for schools of more than 2,000 students.

Majority rule, approval voting, pair wise and Borda count voting were all methods explained to a panel of judges by the pair, Keigher said.

Though the Rot and Davies presentation went well, Keigher said, his team hadn't considered themselves on equal footing with "academic powerhouses like Glenbrook South and, Walter Payton (College Preparatory School). We had pretty much resigned ourselves to another 'wait 'til next year,' " he said.

Larkin's 16-member team, Keigher said, is a tight-knit group.

"Everyone's been sharing in this victory," he said.