Math club was revived about five years ago by class of 2022 alums Evelyn Zhang and Michael Karpov.

But when Zhang, now a junior at Vanderbilt, stopped by their Nov. 25 meeting, she was amazed to see more than 20 people standing under disco lights, eating treats like apple pie and potato chips and listening to math-themed music.  

“The first year it started, there were a little bit more than five, other than Michael [Karpov] and I, but I think by my senior year we had around 10 every week.” Zhang said. “I’m kind of surprised and very proud of what the next couple of math club captains have done to grow the club this much.” 

The Nov. 25 meeting was a celebration for club members after completing the American Mathematics Competition (AMC), which they spent the first part of the year preparing for. 

During a typical club meeting, held every Monday after school, members practice problems and listen to slideshow presentations to enrich their knowledge and prepare for math competitions. 

Junior Karina Krishnan has been captain of math club since her freshman year and has worked hard to make it a fun learning environment.

“The club has grown immensely since I was an 8th grader…” Krishnan said. “Our goal has been to expand the club, and we have been really successful in this, especially this year with an average of 25 participants per meeting. I also think that we are a very consistent club, as we have been meeting every Monday since August, which only a few clubs do.” 

Krishnan also explained some of the goals the club hopes to achieve this year. One of these includes attending the University of Michigan Math Meet on Saturday, April 12.

“We are planning on taking a group of 16 math club members,” she said. “Students will compete in teams of four, which includes various rounds such as the sprint, individual and team round.” 

“We also plan on participating in various other online math contests such as MathCon and the Penn Math contest,” she added. “All of these competitions give awards, and students have the opportunity to go to Chicago if they qualify for finals in MathCon.”

“In the past few meetings, we’ve presented a new topic that will be on the AMC,” senior Kevin Zhang said. “After the AMC, we are looking at our next competition, which will probably be the Michigan Math Meet. We will tailor our efforts to preparing for that competition, such as group competition, practice and proofs.”

Zhang has been a co-captain since his sophomore year and is really passionate about math club.

“I’ve always felt that the way numbers and concepts come together was really cool,” he said.

Junior Jiahe Liu is the third president, having started in this position this year. He has competed in multiple competitions and is very enthusiastic about math. He hopes to see more members become involved.

“Math club is very successful because it allows students to develop an interest in math, and I would encourage people that are interested in math to join,” he said.

Members enjoy the camaraderie and the leadership of the three club presidents. 

“What keeps [me] coming back each week is a very nice environment and having a good connection with the captains,” junior Tony Zhang said.

Math teacher Denise Billock has been advising the math club for two years.

“I became interested after the captains of the math club asked me to be the adviser,” she said.

She believes that the club provides great benefits to students such as improving math skills, building relationships with other students who enjoy math, attending math competitions and eating snacks. 

Krishnan appreciates Billock’s support for the club.

“I would like to thank Mrs. Billock for being our amazing adviser for the past couple years, as we would not be able to run math club without her,” she said.

Club members encourage others to join, even if they don’t feel math is their strength. 

“For anyone who’s interested in math and wants to learn more and prepare themselves for competitions or any math class in general, math club is a good environment to learn,” freshman Sara Zhao said.

The presidents emphasized that the club can accommodate a diverse community of math learners.

“Everyone is encouraged to attend, and there are no big requirements needed for attending,” Zheng said.

“Our goal is to develop new perspectives in mathematical thinking for everyone,” Liu said.

“We want to let people know that being in math club is not a set-in-stone commitment, so people who want to come for a meeting and see what we are doing are more than welcome to,” Krishnan said. “Especially on days when we do more fun activities such as poker, anyone is welcome to join.”

Meetings are held in Mrs. Billock’s room ( 702) on Mondays during the academy.