Bear Creek Student Qualifies for USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad

REDMOND, Wash. - April 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Freshman Caleb Ji has qualified to sit for the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad exam on April 30 and May 1.

“Although he has remarkable mathematical abilities, Caleb is quiet and unassuming.  He is humble and gracious, yet if you ask him to explain a challenging math problem you will see him slowly look down and then with a tiny smile, his eyes light up. His mind is lightning fast and he has an almost unbelievable ability to break a problem down into manageable parts,” says Steven Prokopchuk, Math Department Chair at Bear Creek and Caleb’s math team coach.

Prokopchuk adds, “Caleb is never boastful with his academic abilities but remains grounded and is very generous with his gifts. Caleb shows more interest in sharing his passion and learning with others than he does in broadcasting his accomplishments.  He spends hours creating worksheets for his fellow math team members and enjoys the opportunities he is given to teach during our math team meetings. I am excited to see where Caleb’s gifts take him, but even more excited to see how he will use these gifts to benefit others.”

In addition to qualifying for the USA Junior Math Olympiad, Caleb also participated in the Canadian Math Olympiad.  And earlier this year, he placed third in the State at the Math is Cool Masters competition in the calculus division (highest possible), an event that brings together all of Washington's very best high school math students – freshmen through seniors. Outside the classroom, Caleb plays tennis for the Grizzlies’ varsity boys tennis team, debates on Bear Creek’s award-winning forensics team, and sang in the chorus in Bear Creek’s recent production of Fiddler on the Roof.

The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) (http://amc.maa.org/usamo/usamo.shtml) and the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (http://amc.maa.org/usamo/usajmo.shtml) (USAJMO) (http://amc.maa.org/usamo/usajmo.shtml), are each a six question, two day, 9 hour essay/proof examination. All problems can be solved with pre-calculus methods. Approximately 270 of the top scoring AMC 12 participants (based on a weighted average) will be invited to take the USAMO. Approximately 230 of the top scoring AMC 10 participants (based on a weighted average) will be invited to take the USAJMO. U.S. citizens and students legally residing in the United States and Canada (with qualifying scores) are eligible to take the USAMO and USAJMO. This is given on two consecutive days (usually a Tuesday and Wednesday) in late April. The twelve top scoring USAMO students are invited to an Olympiad Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC sponsored by the MAA. Six students will comprise the United States team that competes in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO began in 1959; the USA has participated since 1974.

About The Bear Creek School

Founded in 1988, in Redmond, Washington, The Bear Creek School is an Independent Classical Christian School that believes only when faith, mind and heart are fed together can we experience the fullness of education, which produces leaders who think well and are compelled to engage the world.

The school serves students from the greater Eastside and is housed on four campuses.  Redmond Campus on Union Hill serves kindergarten to grade 12 students and Valley Campus, also in Redmond, serves preschool to grade 5 students.  Bear Creek has two Early Childhood campuses in Woodinville and Sammamish serving preschool and prekindergarten students. The Bear Creek School is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities, and the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools.