For the fourth year in a row, a student from St. Mary’s Ryken has taken first place in St. Mary’s County in the University of Maryland High School Mathematics Competition. St. Mary’s Ryken sophomore Jennie Zhang earned first place in the contest known to students for its combination of exacting mathematics and discouragement of guessing – four points are earned for a correct answer and two points are deducted for each incorrect answer.
Zhang, of Piney Point, Md., is a member of the Science Bowl team, the Stars & Stripes Service Club and the sailing team.
The University of Maryland Mathematics Competition is open to all students enrolled in high school in Maryland and the District of Columbia and a total of 2,090 students participated this school year. “In addition to a sound knowledge of high school mathematics (up to, but not including, calculus), both parts will require a fair amount of mathematical insight and ingenuity,” according to the competition website.
Students are not allowed to use calculators on the test and needed high scores on Part I to move on to participate in Part II of the competition. Zhang was among only 233 test-takers to qualify for Part II.
St. Mary’s Ryken is a college preparatory high school sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers. The rigorous and challenging course curriculum, grounded in morals and values, develops time management skills and prepares students for the demands of college course work. Approximately 99% of graduates go on to college. The Class of 2014 received offers of admission from 191 different colleges and universities and earned $12.7 million in scholarships, and over 30% of the class had offers totaling $100,000 or more.