First places all around for Discovery at Pizitz math tourney
(CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Math teams from Discovery Middle School topped all competitors at the Pizitz Middle School Math Tournament on Feb. 22.
Discovery’s seventh-grade math students faced 11 other seventh-grade teams in the large-school division. “Our team came in first place with a score of 398 points,” coach and math teacher Julie Goldston said. The second-place team scored 357 points.
“We had a comfortable margin of victory. We also had the highest score of all 30 schools that brought seventh-grade teams,” Goldston said.
From 110 students in the division, four Discovery seventh-graders earned individual trophies. Corey Tolbert won first place. David Li placed in 3rd place, followed by Justin Byers in ninth and Joshua Byers in tenth.
For eighth grade, 13 teams competed in the large-school division. “Our team came in first place with a score of 460 points, out of a possible 500,” Goldston said. “The second place team had a score of 411.”
Discovery eighth-graders compiled the highest score of all 38 schools with eighth-grade teams.
“Although they call it the eighth-grade test, it is for students who are currently taking algebra 1. We have two seventh-graders, Aditi Limaye and Tony Tian, who are currently taking algebra 1, so they had to compete against eighth-graders,” Goldston said.
Six Discovery students earned individual trophies against 133 competitors. Aditi Limaye took first place with a perfect score of 100 and correctly answered three tiebreakers.
In a tie for first, Alan Grissom received second place, even with perfect scoring and answering three tiebreakers correctly. “Pizitz chose to break the tie with a sudden elimination ciphering question. They only had one first-place trophy, but we all know they all earned (the) trophy, regardless of what they received,” Goldston said.
Other Discovery students placing were Shantanu Kadam, third (although scoring perfectly and answering tiebreakers); Tony Tian, fourth, by missing only one question; Sean Lee, eighth; and Kim Dang, ninth.
