Thirteen CCB students excelled in the 15th version of the Regional Mathematics Olympics, in the junior, basic, intermediate and advanced categories. They were organised by the Mathematics Department of the Universidad del Valle and held on Saturday 13th November. Three of our 11th grade students managed to qualify for the final round and won silver medals, demonstrating their ability in the different exercises and standing out among more than 10,000 participants from different parts of the country.
For our Secondary Section Maths Coordinator, Ángela Gómez, these Olympics allow the students to strengthen their skills and to direct their future towards careers related to this discipline.
“For them this is very important for their goals, for their curriculum vitae, and their experiences. These students excel in the subject and this type of university olympiad-style questioning helps them to reaffirm whether what they want to study is related to science, engineering or similar careers. It also helps them to apply to universities,” said Ángela.
Previously the Olympics were held in the facilities of the Universidad del Valle, however due to the pandemic the last two have been held virtually. This has not subtracted from the excitement and our student’s desire to win.
“This activity is very interesting because it is mathematics applied to real life situations and more complex problems. It went well, I really enjoyed learning how to deal with different problems in a mathematical way, I liked that the rounds were done several times so that those who did not have access to a computer all the time could enter when possible,” said Ana Marcela Ramírez Cabal, participating student from 10th grade and winner of the Cali Zone 1 – Medium category in the competition.
These Olympics have 3 phases, the qualifying phase, which consists of a virtual multiple-choice test with a single answer. This is followed by the zonal final phase, which defines the finalists who go on to the final phase. This phase also determines the winners by geographic zone by means of multiple-choice problem mixes. And finally there is the final phase where the answer to a problem must be submitted in writing and days later you will be presented with the dynamics of it.
“This is my first year in the Olympics, I didn’t have in mind to win but to do the tests and have fun, the challenges are very well thought out, I understood them and I really enjoyed doing them. Since the end of sixth grade I started to like mathematics, and above all it is fun to solve the problems,” said Tomás Cadavid, a participating student from 8th grade.
Congratulations to each of the students who participated in these Olympics:
Tomás Cadavid
Cristina Solis
Gabriela Tascón
Juan Andrés Jácome
Jacobo Ordóñez Armel – Zone 1 Cali Winner – Basic Category
Mariana Tafur Agudelo – Final Round Silver Medallist – Intermediate Category
Ana Marcela Ramírez Cabal – Zone 1 Cali Winner – Intermediate Category
Ana Lucía Cayón
Juan José Muñoz – Final Round Silver Medallist – Intermediate Category
Manuela Mejía Restrepo – Final Round Silver Medallist – Intermediate Category
Mariana Ramírez Cabal
María Alejandra Hurtado
María Juliana Ramírez Cabal – Zone 1 Cali Winner – Junior Category
