Middle School Girls Compete in Woodlands Academy Mathalon

A trio from Grayslake Middle School was the winning team at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart's seventh annual Mathalon event Oct. 13.

In all, 33 seventh- and eighth-grade girls from 10 area schools spent a Saturday morning putting their math skills to the test in creative, problem-solving ways at the all-girls college-prep high school in Lake Forest.

Finishing in second place this year was Libertyville's Highland Middle School, followed by Grayslake's St. Gilbert School in third place, Lake Forest's East Lake Academy in fourth and Bannockburn Middle School rounding out the top five.

Also participating in this year's Woodlands Academy Mathalon were the following schools from Lake and Cook counties, listed alphabetically:

• Lake Bluff Middle School, Lake Bluff

• Oak Grove Middle School, Green Oaks

• Quest Academy, Palatine

• Sacred Heart School, Winnetka

• Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Waukegan

There were no rote paper and pencil drills in this competition, according to Rocco Gargiulo, Woodlands Academy assistant principal and mathematics teacher. Teams of three middle school girls tackled a variety of fun and engaging mathematical tasks such as building, counting, drawing, estimating, folding and hypothesizing, with Woodlands students serving as their guides and cheerleaders.

"These events were hands-on, cooperative activities that engaged students to use mathematics in creative, problem solving ways," Gargiulo said. "The events involved mathematical computation, estimation, visual/spatial reasoning, logic and the use of technology."

Woodlands Academy is an independent, Catholic day-and-boarding high school for young women in grades nine through 12 that promotes academic, artistic and athletic excellence along with global awareness, social responsibility and strong faith.

According to research cited by the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, all-girls' schools lead the way in graduating women who become the nation's scientists, doctors, engineers, designers and inventors. Research shows that girls' school graduates are more likely to consider majoring in math, science and technology, and also are more likely to consider engineering careers compared to girls who attend coed schools.

For more information about Woodlands Academy, visit www.woodlandsacademy.org.

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