News Releases
Plum Grove students rank high
in state, national math competitions
Several students from Plum Grove Junior High were honored by the Community Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education at the board’s May 23 meeting for their outstanding accomplishments in math competitions during the 2000-01 school year.
In MATHCOUNTS competitions, the Plum Grove team, consisting of James Qi, Michael Banasiak, Sarah Yang and Charles Feng, won first place in chapter and state competitions. Several Plum Grove students also placed in the individual categories of the MATHCOUNTS competitions. In the national MATHCOUNTS competition, James Qi led the Illinois team to seventh place in the nation, and he took sixth place as an individual, scoring just three points below the first-place winner. Michael Banasiak was the student coach, with teacher Rita Sheridan and Dr. Krish Revuluri serving as coaches of the Illinois team.
Seventy-three Plum Grove students attained the state honor roll in the American Mathematics Competition category AMC-8. Four students—Michael Banasiak, Sarah Yang, James Qi and Charles Feng—earned slots on the national honor roll. After completing the AMC-8, ten Plum Grove students qualified to participate in the AMC-10. On the basis of performance in the AMC-10, four students—James Qi, Sarah Yang, Michael Banasiak and Andy Wilson—qualified to participate in the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). Based on AIME results, eighth-grader James Qi qualified to participate in the U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad contest. He was among the top 120 students in grades 7-12 in the nation, and one of only 8 eighth graders to qualify. In the Olympiad, Qi achieved the third highest score in the nation.
Plum Grove’s team took second place in Illinois in the Continental Mathematics League. Three students earned perfect scores: James Qi, Sarah Yang and Michael Banasiak. Banasiak, an eighth grader, also earned a perfect score in the previous year’s competition.
Plum Grove students also scored well in the Illinois Mathematics League competitions. The eighth-grade team placed second in Illinois, and the seventh-grade team took third place. Both teams had earned first-place honors in the Northwest Cook County competitions.
In the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Invitational, the Plum Grove combined team took third place. The eighth-grade team placed first, with three students—James Qi, Michael Banasiak and Sarah Yang—earning perfect individual scores. The seventh-grade team placed third.
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