Entering the four-year mark of Portola High’s establishment, staff and students try their hardest to make everyone feel included. From the variety of classes to clubs, there is something for everyone at Portola; for some, it is Math Club. From the intense study sessions to the long tournaments, Math Club is taking Portola to the next level.

Math Club, co-founded by senior Joyee Chen and junior Kevin Du, was created in 2016-17, but took off the year after.

“This club is so special because students all share the same common passion and love for mathematics,” math teacher and club adviser Shelley Godett said. “They are not only interested in doing fun challenging problems together, but they promote the members to share their passion and talent for math by helping students that need it.”

With a focus on students who thoroughly enjoy math, the club attends competitions such as the Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition (CHMMC) and Math Day at the Beach. Other competitions such as the American Mathematics Contest (AMC) 10/12, a series of exams created for the purpose of promoting the development and challenging the minds of young students, are offered on campus every year. 

“The competitions last year went surprisingly well. We met every Saturday morning at 8am to practice. Our team worked pretty hard to improve in our math skills and form a close bond,” Du said.

Motivated by receiving sixth place out of approximately forty teams at CHMMC last year, Math Club has many exciting things planned for the future.

“As of now, I just want the club to keep going. Our seniors are graduating, and we’re going to need new members to continue the trend,” Du said. “We will go to CHMMC again this year, and we hope to also go to Math Day at the Beach in April of next year. Other than that, we want to expand our club and get more students to explore the depths of math, which many people underestimate.”