Hundreds of Alberta students take part in math competition

Hundreds of students took part in a math competition at Ross Sheppard School in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Over 400 students from across Alberta competed in a math competition at Ross Sheppard School on Wednesday.

High school students competed in the Totem Torus competition and junior high school students also took part in their own Team Up Challenge.

Students competed individually, in teams and in relays to solve math problems that go beyond the regular math curriculum.

“The questions are engineered in a way to be really challenging, to push them to think beyond what they would do in the regular classroom.” Jeremy Klassen of Ross Sheppard School, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

Klassen also says the event gives academic students “a really big outlet for some of them to come and just be that math student that they are on the inside.”

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Grade 11 student Max Dong described the competition as a “great event” that brings together students from across the province to challenge themselves outside the classroom.

“I think math contests in cities like Edmonton or just the province of Alberta are really underrated,” said Dong. “I really do think Ross Sheppard hosting this team Torus event kind of lets everybody go to Shep, have a great time doing a math contest and have fun.”

Dong also says it is a great chance to meet new people and learn together.

“These people learn different things from us, right? But we’re doing the same problem, and you’re kind of united by the questions that you’re doing.”

Students competed for pride but also the chance for some medals and their name on a trophy.

The Totem Torus competition has been held since 2013.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brandon Lynch