News
Malayan High School of Science clinches top ranks in national mathematics contest
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
(L-R) Grade 10 David A. Abiog, Adviser Benjo Mangalindan, and Grade 8 Kyara Christelle D. Riguerra won the bronze medal in the 2016 National Parallel Challenge for Future Mathematicians.
Two students of Malayan High School of Science (MHSS) bested over 600 other participants at the 2016 National Parallel Challenge for Future Mathematicians (NPCFM) held at St. Stephen’s High School in Manila on October 29-30, 2016.
Grade 8 student Kyara Christelle D. Riguerra and Grade 10 student James David A. Abiog bagged the Bronze Award in the Individual Contest. Riguerra also finished second runner-up in Division B of the Team Puzzle Contest.
The NPCFM is the Philippine leg of the Challenge for Future Mathematicians (CFM). The contest papers are the same as those of the CFM International group, and some CFM rules and regulations are applied as conformed by CFM organizers. In 2016, more than 600 students from Grades 3 to 12 from various private and public schools competed in NPCFM.
According to Benjo Mangalindan, coach of Riguerra and Abiog, the two students’ success comes in MHSS’s third year of participation in the competition. Mangalindan noted that contests like NPCFM are integral to MHSS students’ academic development.
“Competitions like this allow MHSS students to be assessed in their competitiveness in math and help them to be exposed to different math contests,” he stated.
In anticipation of NPCFM, Riguerra and Abiog had to juggle their academic course load with one-hour weekly training discussing and answering different math contest questions. The two students also prepared through a half-day session before the competition.
Mangalindan further shared that competing in NPCFM was crucial in building character. “One of them said, ‘Sir, we are so busy this month, every week there is a competition.’ Another said, ‘We are joining, I am going to lose again.’ But then, they did win. The competition boosts their self-confidence with the results,” he said.
“As their mentor, I am so proud of them for giving their great effort to succeed in the competition. Their achievement is also my achievement, as it is MHSS’s,” Mangalindan stated.