Can this year’s HB Math Team live up to the hype?

Scott VanCoughnett

This year’s mathletes hunker down and power through some Calculus homework. They have another couple of meets coming up this season and need to prepare for them the best they can. Plummer gave some insight to their preparation by saying, “currently our team members only practice once per month, but we have just begun to offer weekly practice opportunities to both provide more flexibility for our team members and to try to improve our team’s performance.”

Scott VanCoughnett, Features Editor

Hollis Brookline’s Math Team has been a league-wide powerhouse for years and years. Opposing teams in the past used to cower in fear when they heard they were attending a meet with HB. This season isn’t quite the same for the Cavaliers’ mathletes, but they have a lot of great competitors. With Stacey Plummer and Susan Moores at the helm, the mathletes are in very intelligent and safe hands.

Senior mathlete David Bonnette ‘18 has been competing on math teams since his middle school days, and he has been leading the charge for this year’s squad. Bonnette didn’t sugar coat it, saying, “We under performed the first two meets. I think we lost some talent from last year, but I still think we can be just as good.” As a senior, Bonnette is really fighting for this year to be a success because he wants to leave his legacy here at Hollis Brookline.

Coach Stacey Plummer has great hopes for this year’s team. Although they haven’t been performing as well as the teams in previous years have, she’s very excited to watch these students improve over the year. This year, the team has placed second at the first two meets. According to Plummer, this is unusual for them and they “are discussing ways that we can change our strategies and our practice structure to improve our performance.” Plummer and Moores are looking forward to making this year’s team just as intimidating as in years past.

Plummer also added, “The Math Team is open to any HBHS student who loves math.” The leaders would love to have the bright minds that fill these halls come join them and help lead the team to yet another state title.

Maddie McCann ‘18, who isn’t a member of our powerful Math Team said, “Sometimes I think it would be fun, because it’s really anything, any sort of math. In class it’s much more specific.” There are a range of categories from Algebra to Geometry to Advanced Mathematics that mathletes can compete in.

The Cavaliers are fighting hard this year to try and live up to the expectations that the past teams have set for them. It’s going to be a challenge, but the coaches and competitors alike believe they can do it.