The advent of iPads this year for all students has made the Mathletes team more capable of success. This program grants each student the use of an iPad for all academic use. Apps like Notability, Showbie, and ITunes U are common among classrooms. However, these apps are being used in extracurricular activities as well. The Mathletes team this year has been using iPads and iTunes U to create a more organized means of learning. By creating separate courses for different grade levels, the Mathletes can better focus their learning on their designated subjects. These iPads also give the team members an endless access into information that could help advance their knowledge in their categories.
Each competition is arranged so that every grade level is tested on three subjects. Two of these three subjects must be done individually. The third subject tested on is done in groups, and students can collaborate. As well as written portions, there are speaking portions to gain points. There is a freshman/sophomore category and a junior/senior category. For the oratorical presentation, a student is allowed to prepare with one other student and then present their work on the board in front of judges. The team with the highest accumulated points wins.
So far this year, the addition of the iPads to the OLCHS Mathletes team has been a success. The Mathletes team hosted the first competition this year on September 9 and won first place among five teams. The second competition took place on September 30 and the team took third place. The team is currently gearing up to compete in their third competition on October 21. The future looks bright for the Mathletes, as multiple members of the team have gotten perfect scores at the past meets. As students on the team improve at every practice with the help of coach David Jodelka and assistant coach Tammy Tyeptanar, the probability of conference success seems greater and greater.