The PEGG

July, 2000

APEGGA Sponsors Math Contests

APEGGA once again sponsored the Edmonton area Gauss Mathematics Contest (for Grades 7 and 8) and the Edmonton Junior High Mathematics Contest (for Grade 9).

Edmonton is the largest single group participating in the Canada-wide Gauss contest, which originates from the University of Waterloo. Approximately 2,000 students from 50 schools in the Edmonton Public, Catholic and Francophone school districts wrote the exam. The top 66 students were honoured in a ceremony on June 1 in the McCauley Chambers of Edmonton Public School's Centre for Education. Named after mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), Edmonton students have participated since 1981, when 500 students from 20 local schools wrote the exam.

Now in its 27th year, the Edmonton Junior High Mathematics Contest saw more than 600 students from 31 schools in the Edmonton Public and Edmonton Catholic school districts write the exam prepared by University of Alberta Mathematics Professor A.T. Lau, who organizes teams for the Canadian and International Mathematics Olympiad competitions. The top 53 students were honoured at a ceremony on May 24 at the Santa Maria Goretti Community Centre. These students represent the 0.625 per cent of the Grade 9 population.