This past February, 200 of Community High School's top math students took part in the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. The 75-minute competitions are 25-question multiple-choice examinations in secondary school mathematics containing problems that can be understood and solved with pre-calculus concepts. The main purpose of the American Mathematics Competitions is to spur interest in mathematics and to develop talent through solving challenging problems in a timed multiple-choice format. What happens before and after the competitions can have lasting educational value. Talents will be enhanced if one practices beforehand, by working through previous examinations, by participating in math leagues and, most importantly, by studying mathematics more intensely than one normally does in high school.

The competition has two levels. The high scorer on the AMC 10 (for freshmen and sophomores) was sophomore Jill Musick. Additional high scores were freshman Natasha Sansone and sophomores Melissa Johansen, Heidi Colliander, and Jeffery Cisowski. Senior Pat Baur had the high score for the AMC 12. Seniors Mike Doll, Craig Wostratzky, Mike Paschke, and Jason Forbrook and juniors Jason Becker, Phil Buksa, and Carl Sauter also had top scores for Community High School.

A special purpose of the American Mathematics Competitions is to help identify those few students with truly exceptional mathematics talent. Students who are among the very best deserve some indication of how they stand relative to other students in the country and around the world. The test is one in a series of examinations that culminate in participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the most prestigious and difficult secondary mathematics examination in the world. The IMO will be held this coming July in Tokyo, Japan. The United States team traditional places in the top five countries, finishing third last year behind China and Russia.

The next step in the qualification process for the International Mathematical Olympiad is the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME).. To qualify for AIME, students who took the AMC 12 need to achieve a score of 100 or more out of a possible 150. AMC 10 participants who scored in the top 1% also qualify for the AIME. Community High had eight students qualify for the AIME. The three-hour 15-question test will be given on April 8th.

For senior Craig Wostratzky, this is the third consecutive year he has qualified to participate in the AIME. Seniors Pat Baur, Mike Doll, and Mike Paschke qualified for the AIME for the second year in a row. First time AIME qualifiers from Community High School are juniors Jason Becker, Phil Buksa, and Carl Sauter and senior Jason Forbrook.

"We have a remarkable group of students at Community High School," said Aaron Hayes, the math teacher in charge of administering the contests. "They are gifted mathematically, but they also work very hard to understand how the concepts work. The achievement on the AMC tests are witness to the quality of the math program here at Community High School."