Woodlands Academy hosts Mathalon for girls

A trio from Bannockburn Middle School was the winning team at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart's eighth annual Mathalon event Oct. 5.

In all, 12 teams of seventh- and eighth-grade girls from nine 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 Palatine's Quest Academy, followed by Grayslake's St. Gilbert School Team 1 in third place. Two schools from Chicago rounded out the top five: Sacred Heart Schools Sheridan Road Team 1 in fourth place and The Frances Xavier Warde School in fifth place.

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

• Carleton Washburne Middle School, Winnetka

• East Lake Academy, Lake Forest

• Lake Bluff Middle School, Lake Bluff

• Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Waukegan

Woodlands Academy's new principal this year, Rocco Gargiulo, continues both his classroom role as a math teacher and his Mathalon involvement.

"Our visiting teams of middle school girls tackle eight events, none of which are rote paper and pencil drills, with Woodlands students providing help and encouragement," he said.

"These events are hands-on, cooperative activities that engage students to use mathematics in creative, problem-solving ways. They involve mathematical computation, estimation, visual/spatial reasoning, logic and the use of technology."

For more information, visit Facebook.com/woodlandsacademy and www.woodlandsacademy.org.

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