High School Events

Do you get excited when you finally untangle a math problem?  Do you wish you could spend more time working on complex problems?  Would you like to meet other people who enjoy what you find fascinating?  Have you ever wondered if there's a place for math after high school?  Consider joining us for the Guthrie Mathematics Tournament. 

The Guthrie Mathematics Tournament is a high school math competition designed for public, charter, private, and homeschool co-ops.  It is named in honor of long time faculty member Dr. Gary Guthrie who has taught students mathematics at BJU for over 50 years.

Students will have the opportunity to use their mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills and challenge themselves to think creatively individually and in groups.

How did last year's Guthrie Mathematics Tournament turn out?

Read a summary of the tournament and meet last year's winners on our Previous Competitions page.

Join us for the opportunity to ...

• Interact with collegiate math students and faculty
• Explore potential pathways to a career in mathematical sciences
• Make new friends who also love math

Questions and Answers

Is there anything that the interested students should be doing to prepare for the competition?

The content will range over all areas of high school math through calculus.  There will be problems that a freshman in high school should be able to attack, so students who are currently in or have completed Algebra I are welcome.  No calculators will be allowed, and one of the competitions will be a speed test, so students will want quick recall of facts and quick calculation (they may want to think about techniques solve problems quickly).   Considering challenging questions from the algebras and geometry and reviewing basic counting techniques and probability might be helpful.      

For preparing for the team competition, the AMC 10 and ACM 12 questions from previous years found at the Art of Problem Solving site would be good practice.  Math history and trivia may also appear.

https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/AMC_10_Problems_and_Solutions

https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/AMC_12_Problems_and_Solutions

Would the math faculty at my school/homeschool co-op/parent be expected to attend the event itself? If not, are they allowed to attend if they want to?

Faculty/sponsor attendance is not required at the event, but each school/group is welcome bring one sponsor/parent .  We are asking that students have some sort of faculty sponsor (or parent if you are homeschooled) on record (even if they don't come) to ensure that there is someone who has an idea of the mathematical ability of the student and can provide encouragement/support for their students.  We are hoping that the interested students will have at least brief conversations with their sponsor about the event and increase the enthusiasm/energy they bring to their own math classes.

Is this event designed for students to individually choose to attend? Or is it designed for schools to organize the students?

It's designed to allow either approach; however, students all register individually and report their teammates/school/sponsor so we know which students are together before they arrive.  Students who choose to attend by themselves are welcome to participate in the individual components and may be able to join other individual students to participate in the team competition.  Schools are welcome to send more than three students/one team if there is sufficient interest.

It is generally more effective if a faculty member (or parent if students are homeschooled) encourages participation and helps coordinate communication or the selection of teams.

Can I register and pay for all the students from my school together?

Yes, we can do that.  Email Dr. Melissa Gardenghi (mgardeng@bju.edu), and she will provide you with the necessary information.