For the third consecutive year, the Newton College & Career Academy (NCCA) Math Team is the Division I region champion after scoring first place honors at the Griffin Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) High School Math Competition. The math team competed against other high school teams from Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Pike, Spalding, and Upson counties.
Coached by Kelly Elder, the NCCA team includes Emma Grace Lumpkin, Cameron Potter, Ian White, Jack Allred, and Aoqi Xu.
“Working alongside these remarkable individuals is truly an honor,” said Elder. “Their unity as a team is remarkable, constantly pushing the boundaries of knowledge and supporting each other's growth. Witnessing their unwavering commitment to excel in competitions, despite juggling multiple extracurricular activities, fills me with immense pride. As the seniors embark on their next journey, I eagerly anticipate celebrating their achievements and nurturing the development of our team with the addition of fresh talent in the upcoming year.
According to Dr. Stephanie Gordy, executive director of Griffin RESA, the objectives of the Griffin RESA High School Mathematics Contest are to stimulate interest in mathematics, give recognition to outstanding mathematics students, and provide healthy academic competition.
“Each high school participating in the contest was eligible to enter one team composed of up to five students,” said Gordy. “The students participated in two events: a written exam and a ciphering round.”
She explained, “The four highest scores of the students taking the written exam were used as the team score. The ciphering event was a team competition in which students answered a series of timed questions. Teams had up to three minutes to respond and were awarded points based on time used to respond correctly to each question. Team awards were given in each division. Divisions were based on student enrollment of the participating schools. Awards for the top three teams were based on the total team score on the written test and the ciphering event.”
“NCCA students win the Griffin RESA High School Math Competition for the third consecutive time,” said Shundreia Neely, NCSS Director of Secondary Education. “Seeing these incredibly talented students continue to showcase their shared affinity for math is inspiring. I salute their math sponsors and our math instructional specialist for supporting and preparing the mathletes for these experiences.”
“It is truly an honor to see such great mathematicians from our region work hard while having fun solving math problems,” added Gordy.