Spence News
Spence Math Team Places Third at Downtown Mathematics Invitational
Two Spence math teams—Team Gold and Team Blue—participated in the second annual Downtown Mathematics Invitational hosted at Stuyvesant High School, putting their mathematics skills to the test against 35 high school teams representing the City’s five boroughs.
The all-day competition included four team and individual rounds: Power Round (25 points), Team Round (20 points), Individual Round (48 points) and a Marathon Round (26 points). The Power Round was an hour of proof-writing about definitions and contexts that were new to the teams. The Marathon Round involved tackling 26 problems in 60 minutes. Each team worked collaboratively on two problems at a time and a runner from the team submitted answers as they were solved and received the next question. The scores, which were projected live on a big screen in the auditorium, added to the excitement of the competition.
The Spence Gold Team won two out of four rounds, earned the highest score in the Power and Marathon rounds and placed third overall in the competition. The Blue Team placed 25th overall. These standings represent a significant gain compared to last year’s inaugural Downtown Mathematics Invitational, where the Spence team placed eighth in the competition while also capturing a second place for individual score. “We are all so proud of our mathletes for this amazing success,” shares Math teacher and team advisor Carolyn Wendler, who accompanied the team during this weekend’s competition. Caroline C. ’20, who is co-team captain with Nancy X. ’20, credited teamwork for their success, “We really came together as a team, which enabled us to collaborate well on group rounds and have a great time all around.” Nancy X. ’20 noted that the team had “learned a lot from our experiences last year, particularly in communication during the team rounds and checking each others’ errors.”
“I particularly like how this competition gave Caroline a surplus of ideas (and energy!) for planning our own math competition in the future,” shares Nancy.
“I particularly like how this competition gave Caroline a surplus of ideas (and energy!) for planning our own math competition in the future,” shares Nancy.
Wendler provided the following highlights from the weekend’s competition: “Winning the Power Round highlights our teams’ talent for abstract thinking and for communicating arguments in writing. I love that our top scores were in the three collaborative rounds where they were able to support each other and put their ideas together to find solutions. The Marathon Round win was very dramatic and fun to cheer on from the balcony! This is a young team and I am thrilled for them!”
Congratulations to the Spence Math Teams:
Spence Gold Team
Nancy X. ’20
Sabine C. ’22
Alexandra F. ’20
Nancy Y. ’22
Caroline C. ’20
Erin C. ’20
Spence Team Blue
Brooke P. ’21
Sana B. ’21
Laura T. ’21
Julia F. ’22
Sarai V. ’20
Courtney L. ’20
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A K-12 independent school in New York City, The Spence School prepares a diverse community of girls and young women for the demands of academic excellence and responsible citizenship.
212-289-5940
© 2025 Spence School
212-289-5940
© 2025 Spence School
