Benilde-St. Margaret’s students took the yearly American Math Competition in the Great Hall on Tuesday, February 10, intending to spur interest in mathematics and develop talent through solving challenging problems,”It’s a really awesome experience,” said AP Calculus BC teacher Ms. Jean Nightingale.

Given the option of the AMC 10 or AMC 12 (which has more higher-level math problems, although about half are the same), students strived for the National Honor Roll score: 100 out of 150 possible points, usually acheived by about five percent of participants. The American Invitational Examination, the USA Mathematical Olympiad, and International Mathematical Olympiad follow the AMC 12 for those who qualify in the first of the series of tests. Two students in BSM’s past have moved on beyond the basic AMC 12, Jack O’ Reilly and Andy Neidermeyer.

“You see how you compare with the best of the best in math,” said AP Calculus teacher Mr. Dan Bowler, “You don’t have to qualify to be worthwhile.”