Niwot High School Clubs: Spotlight on Math Club

Niwot High School's Math Club is a student organization that supports students who are interested in, excelling in, or struggling in math.

Math Club president Katherine Cui, a NHS senior, explained, "Math Club is where students can come to do their math homework, study for math tests, and get help from their peers and a math teacher. Math Club is also where students can come to experience how math can be made fun – especially since it is so many people's least favorite subject."

The club had been around for several years but sadly went on a hiatus two years ago until Cui worked to revive it. Cui says that she is extremely happy with the progress the club has made and is proud to now boast 15 members.

"Over time, I have helped make Math Club focus more on fun and interesting math-related activities," Cui said. Fun activities are one of Cui's favorite aspects of Math Club. "For example, making Columbus Cubes and learning about the history [and] mathematics behind it [is a lot of fun for everyone]. Another example was learning about the math behind music and sound, which was similar to our physics unit about waves," Cui explained.

Cui and other Math Club members also teach mini-lessons about math-related subjects and math applications to other fields. Cui particularly enjoyed learning how to play chess, which the club discovered has many math applications.

In addition to its weekly meetings, Math Club frequently participates in various math-related events and competitions. Two highlights include the UNC Colorado Math Contest and the Pi Day celebration. After a short pause in competitions, the Math Club is in the process of reintegrating into the competitive scene, and is excited to compete at higher levels, including prestigious events like the American Mathematics Competition (AMC).

Cui says she has found a newfound love for math through Math Club, and encourages anyone, especially those who don't consider themselves good at math or are typically not nterested in math, to join.

Members feel that the activities and conversations that take place in Math Club help to illustrate the fun aspects of math. "Math isn't just super boring with difficult equations and problems," Cui said.

Any interested students are welcome to join by simply attending meetings every Thursday after school, volunteering to demonstrate a new math topic or activity, or signing up to participate in a future competition.