As the excitement of the new school year begins to simmer down after an exhilarating month, many clubs at THS are preparing to showcase their full potential. A prime example of those clubs is the Tenafly High School Math Club, which is currently gathering competitors for the 47th annual AMTNJ, planned to be held on January 22, 2025.
AMTNJ, also known as the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey, hosts an annual winter math competition for each school in conjunction with other parochial, public, and private schools in New Jersey. Historically, Tenafly has placed consistently well, receiving third place overall as well as first place for the “Pi Section” category last year. The 45-minute testing will be held in THS after school and will be administered at the same time as every other school in the state. The topics tested in the competition are the following: algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and pre-calculus. The topics encompass advanced levels of math in regard to other math competitions in New Jersey. However, the contest does allow scientific calculators, allowing students to demonstrate their critical thinking rather than only evaluating their arithmetic skills.
The competition will not only present a laudable award to the winners, but it will also help students foster their mathematical abilities. The main question to ask when solving a math problem is “Why?” Math is simple, and simplicity at its very core means that despite complexities that may surface now and then, there will always be a transparent truth behind it. In order to solve a problem, one needs to know the root of the problem itself. In the field of mathematics, like many other subjects, asking questions is encouraged and is scientifically proven to be more helpful in reflecting on the subject matter, according to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This concept applies to the problems in the AMTNJ—while they may seem tricky at first, if students figure out the reasoning behind the questions, they will eventually be able to take the right steps to solve the intimidating jumbles of words and numbers. While some students perceive math as a mere subject, the logic behind the sequence of solving the problem will prove to be beneficial in future endeavors, even in situations unrelated to math.
In preparation for AMTNJ, the Math Club’s advisor, Mrs. Minjoo Park, and the club’s co-presidents, Daniel Israeli Miller (’25) and Seiichiro Takayama (’25) often provide practice problems during club meetings. The questions they prepare aren’t only centered around AMTNJ, but also other competitions that the Math Club partakes in, such as the Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC), American Mathematics Competition (AMC), New Jersey Math League (NJML), and Bergen County Math League (BCML). As for the AMTNJ, solving practice problems on the AMTNJ website is also encouraged for those considering entering this contest, for it allows students to understand how the problems will be displayed on the actual test.
While anyone can participate in the competition, only the top five ranking students will be recognized as the school’s team. The winners are anticipated to be announced in February 2025, roughly a month after testing. More information is predicted to be distributed to schools once the decisions are finalized on the AMTNJ’s part. If any students wish to participate in the competition for a chance to demonstrate their mathematical thinking, students are free to fill out this Google form to register before the competition. With hopes of achieving another consequent win, the THS Math Club is heading towards its goal, one problem at a time.
