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By: Carlo Nerecena January 17, 2006 Last January 13 and 17, seventeen high school MTG Kids visited the Ateneo de Manila University to take part in the 4th Ateneo Mathematics Olympiad. For the second straight year, this competition pits the best students from two of the country's most premiere mathematics training institutions - the Mathematics Trainers' Guild and the Ateneo's Program for Excellence in Mathematics - in a unique showdown patterned after the prestigious International Mathematics Olympiad. The MTG Kids emerged victorious in the event, winning 6 out of the 10 medals given in the individual contest, including all 3 gold medals handed out. Winning the gold for the MTG are: Carlo Francisco "Paco" Adajar (1st yr., Southridge School) for Level I (1st and 2nd yr.); and Nellie Maragaret Chua (3rd yr., Chiang Kai Shek College) and Emerson Escolar (4th yr., Grace Christian High School) for Level II (3rd and 4th yr.). All 3 were even complimented by AMO organizer Dr. Queena Lee-Chua upon receiving their awards - Paco, for being the only one who arrived near the actual proof of the very hard #3 problem in the individual test; Nellie, for having written the neatest solutions among the participants; and Emerson, for having written down entirely correct solutions, en route to receiving a perfect score. Winning silvers for the MTG are: Patrick Adrian Ong (1st yr., St. Jude) for Level I and Jonathan Aldric Chua (3rd yr., St. Jude) for Level II. Meanwhile, receiving a bronze medal was Davin Carlos Choi (3rd yr., Chiang Kai Shek) for Level II. In addition to the 6 medallists, 2 MTG Kids who were representing the Ateneo also won. They are Level II's Alvin Belleza (4th yr.) and Emanuel Lance Christopher "EC" Plan VI (4th yr.), who received silver and bronze respectively. In the team competition which combines the MTG Kids and Ateneans into same groups, Team G, containing EC Plan, Patrick Ong, Joanna Jane Tan (3rd yr., Jubilee Christian Academy), and Paul Julian Hao (2nd yr., Chiang Kai), brought home the gold. The team A, with Davin Choi and Ramon Inigo Marfil (3rd yr., Philippine Science high School), and Team B, with Nellie Chua and Emerson Escolar, tied for silver. Finally, Team H, with Alvin Belleza, Paco Adajar, and Vance Mikhail Uy (1st yr., St. Jude), bagged the bronze. The AMO is a brain-child of Ateneo President Fr. Bienvenido P. Nebres, and Dr. Jose Marasigan and Dr. Queena Lee Chua of the Ateneo Mathematics Department. The organizers started inviting the MTG to participate in the AMO last year, in order to benchmark the progress of its own training program with that of the MTG, and to foster Filipino camarederie among Filipino gifted students (Lee-Chua). Congratulations to the winners! |
