Palos 118 students participated in the 2024 South Cook Math Bowl taking home three first place awards as well as several others. Fifth-grade to eighth-grade teams (from left) Weston Cechowski, Brian Kaufmann, JJ Maka, Nathan Bhojraj, Kenaan Salameh, Rhiannon Chen, Kamile Juzenas, and Sarah Bobrowski.
From staff reports
Palos School District 118 took home several awards at the 2024 South Cook Math Bowl that was held at Prairie State College in May.
On day one of the event, Palos 118’s 5th/6th grade team took first place, with Brian Kaufmann placing fifth and Rhiannon Chen placing second in the sixth-grade individual competition. The 7th/8th grade team took fifth place, with JJ Maka placing fifth in the seventh-grade individual competition and Sarah Bobrowski placing sixth and Kamile Juzenas placing fourth in the eighth-grade individual competition.
On day two, the 1st/2nd grade team’s Vladyslav Burakov placed fourth and Noah Gaw placed third in the first-grade individual competition. The 3rd/4th grade team took first place, with Charlie O’Malley placing first in the third-grade individual competition and Kevin Kaufmann placing second in the fourth-grade individual competition.
The Palos 118 teachers and Math Bowl coaches who help prepare the students for the event each year, said that the event gives students a chance to take part in a rigorous competition where they can display their talents.
“I’m so grateful that these students had the opportunity to pursue their interest in math and get recognized for it at the South Cook Math Bowl,” said Palos East teacher Julie McNamara.
Palos East 4th grade teacher Meg Fanello added: “The South Cook Math Bowl is an amazing opportunity for our students to participate in a challenging and fun competition. It is wonderful to see the students’ excitement while enhancing their mathematical abilities.”
“Our students worked hard to prepare for this contest, and it is awesome to see them participate at such a great event,” said Palos South 8th grade math teacher Gina Merritello.
Palos East third grade teacher Dr. Tim Pritchard also singled out Prairie Hills Elementary School District 144 for organizing the event each year.
“District 144 does such a great job organizing this event for our students to showcase their love of Math,” said Dr. Pritchard.
This year’s Palos 118 Math Bowl teams included:
First / Second Grade Team: Noah Gaw, Vladyslav Burakov, Luke Bosack, Jacob Dubrowski.
Third / Fourth Grade Team: Claire Drapa, Charlie O’Malley, Kevin Kaufmann, Ian McDougal.
Fifth / Sixth Grade Team: Nathan Bhojraj, Kenaan Salameh, Rhiannon Chen, Brian Kaufmann.
Seventh / Eighth Grade Team: Weston Cechowski, JJ Maka, Kamile Juzenas, Sarah Bobrowski.
Coaches: Dr. Tim Pritchard, Meg Fanello, Julie McNamara, Gina Merritello.