Meridian takes part in Hong Kong and Singapore Math Competition
Last school year three Meridian students went out of the country to attend an international math competition in Singapore. This year the number of students who competed internationally doubled. Four of them went to Hong Kong for the Chong Hua Cup, King of Math Pan Asia Pacific and Pan Asia Cup Stars of the Olympic Maths and two of them went to Singapore for the International Math Competition. They underwent series of trainings and qualifying exams before they were able to compete internationally. Every time, our students go out of our school we remind them they always carry three flags: the flag of their family, the flag of their school and the flag of their country.
Before the competition, we showed a short video clip taken from ” Facing the Giants” to the two students who are competing in Singapore. Gabriel Alteza said that the line delivered by the coach in the film “When we win, we praise God. When we lose, we praise God” inspired him and gave him a sense of relief since he is quite pressured because he was able to bring home a bronze medal last year. This year, he achieved a silver medal. But he knows that the competition is not over.
ARROWS staff conducted an interview among the students asking them about their preparations and their experiences before and during the competition. The students were very bold and honest to answer the questions:
Q: When did you develop the interest for international math competitions?
A: I was challenged when my brother went to Singapore to compete. I was inspired when he got a medal award. -Nathaniel D. Alteza, 2-Bohol
A: I developed my interest in Math Competitions when I had a local competition during my tutorial class which was entitled “Eye Level”. It felt like I was really in a competition. I felt so nervous, but at least the interest in Math Competition was strengthened. -Elden Riguel C. Tan, 3-Kulintang
Q: How did you prepare for the competition?
A: I prepared for the competition by studying very hard. Math Trainers Guild Philippines(MTG) also prepared several sessions for us to study and we also had an in-house training program in Tagaytay and one month training in Arellano University. -Jeanna Mae B. Reotutar, 3-Dabakan
A: I was able to prepare for the competition by studying the reviewers MTG gave.Since I have a math tutorial class that is called “Eye Level”, I was able to study the lessons we tackled there and also the lessons we tackle in regular classes in school. -Elden Riguel C. Tan, 3-Kulintang
Q:How does it feel to represent the school and the country?
A: I feel good and nervous because it is a big opportunity to represent the Philippines. -Louise Gautane, 4-Baybayin
A: I feel nervous but I am proud to represent my school and the country. -Nathaniel D. Alteza, 2-Bohol
Q:How does it feel to win a silver/bronze/merit award?
A: Very happy because it is my first time to win a medal in an international competition. -Louise Gautane, 4-Baybayin
A: It’s so heart warming to win the bronze medal but it’s the experience and learning which I treasure most. -Jeanna Mae B. Reotutar, 3-Dabakan
Q: What was your most memorable experience before/during/after the competition?
A: The memorable experiences for me was before the competition where I made sure that I was having fun(I even played with my sister), during the competition when I was answering the questions and after the competition when I received the merit award. -Christadawn Paola F. Castolo, 3-Dabakan
A: My most memorable moment was during the awarding. It surprised me a lot. They first announced the Gold medallists followed by the Bronze and the merit award and I was not called. I was already losing hope. It was either I got Silver or nothing at all but surprisingly I got the silver medal!!! I thanked God for the award and I will never forget this moment! -Gabriel P. Alteza, 5-Sagayan
Q: What is your message for the other students who would be interested to compete in the near future?
A: I wish that future participants would do better to be able to win and achieve more than what I have achieved. -Christadawn Paola F. Castolo, 3-Dabakan
A: I just want to say that you have to keep studying hard and pray to God because there is a saying “God helps those who helps themselves”. So in order to win or fulfil our dreams, we must work hard. During a competition, you must keep calm to achieve the best performance. We must also be humble. Not because you’ve competed means you’re the best. It just means God opened a door for you to participate and you are the right person for the job. We must always remember these lessons not just during the competition but in everything we do. -Gabriel P. Alteza, 5-Sagayan
