Mean Girls character, Cady Heron, once uttered those famous words. Now used in numerous memes and sound clips,  the words have lost their context to many. Nevertheless, it must never be forgotten that Cady Heron was a part of her school’s Math team. It was a great way for her to explore her interest and talent in the field. Similarly, the Brookfield East Math Team, which began last year, provides the same opportunities to their students. BEHS math teacher and advisor,  Michael Carini explains the accomplishments and uniqueness of the Math Team.

What is the Math Team’s goal?

The purpose of the Math Team is to provide opportunities for students who enjoy math to participate in competitions against other schools. There are four meets every school year where 8 participating schools take turns hosting the competitions. Students compete both individually and as a part of a team. Individual and team awards are presented at the end of each meet. Since the team started last year, we have won 1st place twice in varsity and JV, 2nd place three times in varsity and JV, and have had many students earn medals for earning top placement in the individual rounds of competition. 

What makes the Brookfield Math Team a unique extracurricular?

There is no limit to how many subteams we can bring to competitions so it’s very rewarding to have such a large number of Brookfield East students show up to compete. Students are placed into the “Varsity” and “JV” categories based on their course enrollment and not necessarily on their math ability which allows everyone a chance to compete.

What challenges have you’ve encountered since starting the team?

Communication can be very challenging. The team has around 50 members and participants are not required to compete at every event. I use Google Forms to determine who will be attending each meet and it’s often difficult to get timely responses from students.

What’s the biggest misconception about joining Math Team?

I’m not sure if it’s a misconception or not but there is not a lot of pressure in the events. The problem sets are designed to be a little challenging but not crazy difficult.

Why should people join?

The energy at competitions is great. It’s a rewarding feeling to see Brookfield East win awards among some of these incredibly talented subteams. 

If you’re interested in math or other future STEM careers, join the Math team. You can contact Michael Carini at [email protected] to get more information. Embrace your inner Cady Heron and become a Spartangent!