{"id":12379,"date":"2025-05-15T09:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T14:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12379"},"modified":"2025-05-15T09:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T14:16:54","slug":"more-than-1000-middle-high-students-dive-into-uwo-math-contest-get-a-taste-of-college","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/more-than-1000-middle-high-students-dive-into-uwo-math-contest-get-a-taste-of-college\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 1,000 middle\/high students dive into UWO math contest, get a taste of college"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Students from Omro Middle School participate at the 7th annual UW-Oshkosh Mathematical Problem Solving Contest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The buzz started early at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Oshkosh. By 8 a.m., buses from 30 school districts across the state began unloading more than 1,000 middle and high school students on campus, their chatter and excitement echoing across academic buildings and hallways.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Students from Sabish Middle School, Fond du Lac, challenge themselves in a Face-Off game April 17 at the UWO Mathematical Problem Solving Contest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Inside, the competition was serious. Heads bent over timed tests. Teams huddled, whispering strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the 7th annual UW-Oshkosh Mathematical Problem Solving Contest. Part competition, part college tour, part celebration of curiosity, the event gave students a chance to flex their problem-solving muscles and see just how far math and their own potential can take them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Held each spring, the math contest was founded by UWO mathematics professor Eric Kuennen as both a challenging academic competition and a way to introduce students from 30 school districts to the college experience.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kuennen and his colleagues develop the contest questions in a way that doesn\u2019t rely solely on mathematical smarts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not the typical school math exercises or problems,\u201d he said. \u201dThey\u2019re outside-the-box puzzles where you don\u2019t need any particular knowledge of a math topic. It\u2019s all about thinking about things in a different way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the morning was reserved for timed math contests, the afternoon exploded with possibilities. More than a dozen interactive sessions were held from UWO\u2019s departments in chemistry, computer science, nursing, geography and beyond that opened their doors. Students launched weather balloons, mixed bath bombs in chemistry labs and maneuvered through a giant logic maze taped on the floor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want these students to experience college life,\u201d Kuennen said. \u201cThis is a recruitment effort as much as it is a celebration of mathematics. And we want them to have fun doing it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Greenville Middle math teachers Melissa Rohde and Brian Reichard, \u201810, brought 48 students to the contest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Greenville Middle School math teacher Brian Reichard has been bringing students to the contest every year since it began. This time, he brought 48 middle schooler students. Reichard, who majored in elementary education and minored in math, graduated from UWO in 2010.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reichard co-leads a math club that meets every other week, and this year 55 students signed up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do different fun activities and have little prizes,\u201d he said. \u201cThey really love math, and they want to challenge themselves.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Melissa Rohde, who teaches sixth grade math at Greenville Middle, said their team has grown steadily over the years. She credits that success to focusing on mindset and confidence before diving into math concepts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Greenville Middle School was represented with 48 students<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe start the year by spending a good quality, I\u2019d say, week and a half before we actually start any concepts,\u201d she said. \u201cWe work through those non-curricular tasks to really build that engagement and competence. Then we can start to do the math.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rohde ties math concepts to real-life examples. Fractions and unit rates become baking or shopping lessons. Speed connects to driving.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen that turns into things like slope and algebra in seventh and eighth grade, the kids can see that real-life connection instead of just being like, \u2018Oh my goodness, I\u2019m never going to use this ever,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenville Middle routinely maxes out on the number of students they can bring to UWO for the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur sixth graders were disappointed that they couldn\u2019t come this year, but they are really excited knowing next year they get to do this and they get to be a part of it,\u201d Rohde said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interactive college sessions<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most popular stops this year was Nursing Math Adventures, an activity hosted by the UWO College of Nursing. Students rotated through stations where they measured vitals, practiced using IV pumps and calculated medication doses. All the while, they learned how math saves lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kaylin Eisch, left, and Treya Schadrie, Grade 7 students from Black Creek Middle; with Amy Schumacher, learning support teacher from the Seymour Community School District; and Annika Schumacher, UWO nursing student, at a simulation lab at UWO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Amy Schumacher, a learning support teacher from Seymour Community School District, brought 23 students from the district.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for us to be exposing our students to not only life on a college campus and the opportunities that college can bring,\u201d she said, \u201cbut also just to know how math is an integral part of our education and how many careers and professions use math on a daily basis.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Schumacher, the hands-on activities in the nursing wing made the value of math tangible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting for our kids to see somebody really using math in action,\u201d Schumacher, whose daughter Annika, a UWO junior majoring in nursing, showed the younger students how to check the vitals on a patient in a simulation lab.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other activities include,\u00a0Predicting the Weather with Balloon Launches<\/em>, where participants explored atmospheric science with a real-time demonstration of how weather balloons collect data and\u00a0Chemical Reactions: Make Your Own Bath Bombs<\/em>, which gave students the chance to experiment in a chemistry lab and walk away with a fizzy souvenir.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Math masters<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Reeve Union, UWO math professor Amy Parrott supervised the Math Exploration Center, a hands-on math playground featuring puzzles, games and a life-sized logic maze laid out on the floor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like a normal maze,\u201d Parrott said. \u201cIt\u2019s set up to force students to really think about what\u2019s going on in the puzzle, solve it and also have fun.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the students navigating the maze were 15-year-old twins Justin and Jeffrey Parrott, ninth graders from Oshkosh North High School. They also happen to be Amy Parrott\u2019s sons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jeffrey Parrott, left, in Grade 9 at Oshkosh North High School, makes a move in a chess game as his twin brother, Justin, second from left, looks on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI like the logic,\u201d Justin said. \u201cLike, how you have to think about it to solve the problem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeffrey agreed:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s like Sudoku. It\u2019s a logic puzzle,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to think about everything all together and as a whole.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both brothers have been surrounded by math since they were young, since both of their parents are math instructors. Justin is even considering becoming a math teacher one day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Renee Witte, a teacher at Faith Lutheran School in Fond du Lac, has attended all seven contests.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really good opportunity for kids to see problem solving in a different way,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I also think it\u2019s really good for them to see that math can be fun.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She brought 12 students this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a little bit nervous,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they do enjoy coming and trying something different. It\u2019s really good to do something on an academic level, not just sports or arts, that lets kids use their gifts in a different way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Menasha High School student Tommy James, right, says she enjoys challenging her mind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ninth grader Tommy James from Menasha High School said the contest helped her grow in unexpected ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>It really helps you challenge your skills and push yourself to try harder,\u201d she said. \u201cEspecially with the team event. It really helps you push yourself to do your best.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019s been on the math team since seventh grade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good at it,\u201d Tommy added. \u201cAnd it helps me learn how to teach others, like my best friend who isn\u2019t the best at math. It helps me learn how to explain things better.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The day wrapped up with an awards ceremony in the Kolf Sports Center fieldhouse, where trophies were awarded to top-performing middle and high school teams and individuals. For Kuennen, the contest continues to fulfill the original vision he had seven years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal was to develop something that would be annual and become a destination event,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re in an era where math is sometimes devalued because it\u2019s hard. But in my view, we should embrace that. That\u2019s the fun part.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Study at UW-Oshkosh<\/a><\/p>\n

See event photo gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

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Written by Grace Lim<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwosh.edu\/today\/126682\/more-than-1000-k-12-students-dive-into-uwo-math-contest-get-a-taste-of-college\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The buzz started early at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Oshkosh. By 8 a.m., buses from 30 school districts across the state began unloading more than 1,000 middle and high school students on campus, their chatter and excitement echoing across academic buildings and hallways.\u00a0\u00a0 Students from Sabish Middle School, Fond du Lac, challenge themselves in a Face-Off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":12384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[94],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-12379","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-oshkosh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/12379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=12379"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=12379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}