S
eneca Valley sophomore Rachel Spear
has some true brain power when it
comes to math. Spear was recently
invited to The Advantage Testing
Foundation 2019 Math Prize for
Girls Competition (MPfG) based on
her performance on the American
Mathematics Competition 10 test last school year.
This particular competition is the largest math prize
for girls in the world. Each fall at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), nearly 300 young female
students compete in the challenging test of mathematical
creativity and insight. The goal is to promote gender
equity in the Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) professions and to encourage
young women with exceptional potential to become
mathematical and scientific leaders.
Spear, 15, is the daughter of Rich and Katie Spear.
She plays both the piano and the flute, so she is involved
in several school and community music programs,
including the SV Marching Band. She’s been practicing
Tae Kwon Do for over 10 years, and earned her fourth
dan black belt and Master title earlier this year. Spear
has also volunteered with the Miracle League of Western
PA for the last four years, in addition to doing various
activities to help her school district, including with the
Student Diversity Committee and Student Advisory
Committee.
“I’m passionate about math due to the problem-solving
skills that it uses, especially in higher-level mathematics,”
says Spear. “While some people enjoy puzzles or
brainteasers, mathematics serves as a way for me to use
my critical thinking and logistic skills in a way that can be
useful in the real world. Also, while many areas of study
are subjective, math provides a largely objective way to
think about the universe. It can be comforting to rely on
mathematics as a constant in a world full of change.”
Spear qualified for the MPfG by having one of the
top 300 scores among females of all ages (through
high school) on the American Math Competition,
sponsored by the Mathematics Association of America.
She prepared for the competition mostly through her
participation on the Western PA ARML (American
Regions Mathematics League) team, which includes
several dozen middle and high school students in the
region. “We meet at CMU every Sunday to study more
advanced mathematical topics outside the normal high
school math curriculum, such as number theory, and
have weekly warm-up problems to work on at home,” she
“It can be comforting to rely
on mathematics as a constant
in a world full of change.”
explains. The team is coached by graduate students in
the CMU Math Department, sponsored by a CMU math
professor, and classes are taught by CMU undergraduate
and graduate students. Spear has also taken several
classes through the Art of Problem Solving website and
Johns Hopkins CTY camps.
The MPfG competition took place at the MIT campus
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October. “The day
before the competition we were given a tour of the
campus and a presentation about MIT and the history
of the competition,” says Spear. “The night before, we
all enjoyed a game night, where I met many of the other
competitors and had some fun competing in various
games and activities.”
The competition itself took place Sunday morning.
Competitors had three hours to solve 20 challenging
math problems in the areas of algebra, geometry,
combinatorics and number theory. In the afternoon,
there was an awards ceremony, where participants heard
speeches from nationally known math professionals
and enjoyed performances from MIT student groups.
“Because we didn’t have school on Monday, we were able
to also visit the campuses of Harvard and Yale, so it was
also a good chance to get an early look at some of the top
colleges for when I have to decide on where to apply in a
couple of years,” says Spear.
“Considering the level and difficulty of the
competition, I was satisfied with how I did, but,
unfortunately, I did not place,” she notes. “The overall
experience was very fun and the community and
environment I found there has made me consider MIT
as a prospective college. I hope to [return] next year and
continue to improve.” n
CRANBERRY ❘ WINTER 2019
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