New Lifers All Fly Home With Awards at the WMTC 2024
A team of six New Lifers won multiple medals and garnered awards at the World Mathematics Teams Championship (WMTC) held in Doha, Qatar last November 27 to December 2.
As part of the official Philippine delegation, the MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) team placed fourth overall out of 51 teams in the Intermediate Division, reaching the top 30% of all teams that participated in the competition. The team consisted of Patmos students Aaron Russel Kho, Laira Caylee Chunpeng, and Nathan Andrew Alviar and Damascus students Maribeth Jullian Tiong, Cassandra Jade Ortiga, and Hope Keila Ng.
Aside from the team victory, Kho, Tiong, and Chunpeng won gold medals in the individual round, ranking 7th, 10th, and 28th, respectively. Meanwhile, Alviar bagged a silver medal, and Ortiga and Ng took home bronze medals.
The competition took place over three rounds: an individual round, where the team members solved questions separately; a relay round, where members were paired and had to solve questions to pass their answers to the next member; and a team round, where the team collectively answered math problems. The overall score was computed based on the scores obtained in each round.
MGCNLCA Team Coach Emilyn Mendoza reflected on how the team stood firm despite challenges faced in the competition. “Recently, as we observed some of the other students around us, it was clear that many were choosing shortcuts and disregarding instructions to get ahead,” she shared.
“But amidst that, our students stood firm. They faced the same challenges, and the same pressures, but they chose to remain unwavering in their integrity. … The true victory lies in their ability to hold onto their principles, their faith, and to “stand firm” no matter the circumstances.”
Held annually, the WMTC is an international math competition that brings together teams from all over the world, with 70 participating countries and 700 contestants this year. The WMTC 2024 was themed “Algebra and Balancing,” which seeks to promote fairness, understanding, and harmony among its participants.
