Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School students adding up to win big at WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad

Schools were divided across the State earlier last month, with Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School competing in the WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad. Seven Year 9 students from BCGS put their mathematical brains to the test as part of a competition to identify the most gifted maths students across the State. The Olympiad consists of an individual and team competition, with students working together through a series of challenging questions, with special conditions including having no calculators to help with the problems. In the individual competition, Year 9 students James Gordon and Sam Jennings-Hopkins were awarded the best individual student and runner-up in the South West division respectively. The students went on to compete in the team event, with one BCGS team claiming the title of the best team in the South West. James said he was proud to represent his school as part of the Olympiad. “I was incredibly proud of myself and all of us — we work great as a team,” he said. “We weren’t really stressed at all in the lead-up. “We had a lot of practice and I think we all trusted each other.” Head of mathematics Nigel Snelson said he would always encourage his students to take part in competitions to help expand their experience and confidence. “I think our results really show the enormous talent that we have year after year at our school,” he said. “We have a long history of success in the WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad.”