On Monday, May 9, Kennett High School’s team finished 10th out of the 78 teams competing at the Temple University 7th Annual OWLympiad. Hosted by the Department of Risk, Insurance, and Healthcare Management and the Sigma Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma at the university, the event is Philadelphia’s lar
gest math competition for high school students and is designed to promote mathematics and introduce students to career paths in applied mathematics.
Competing from Kennett High School were juniors Lydia Pebly, Austin Maxwell, Zachary Hrenko, and Delaney Chaffin. The students were accompanied by mathematics teacher, Dr. Alicia Tamargo.
“This is the fourth year that Kennett High School has entered a team. We compete against both public and private high schools at the event, including teams from Downingtown High School, Council Rock High School, Spring Ford High School, and Henderson High School. This year’s team’s 10th place finish definitely continues our tradition of excellence,” explained Dr. Tamargo.
The competition consisted of a 50 minute, multiple-choice exam that tested topics ranging from basic algebra to calculus and statistics; a “24” Math Card Game Competition; and a “Quizzo”-style lightning round. Kennett High School scored 78 of a possible 96 points across the three events to earn their 10th place honor.
According to the OWLympiad website, the competition is “an opportunity to engage local high school students, in the midst of their college search, and expose them to Actuarial Science as a career choice. Actuaries specialize in the evaluation of insurance and financial risk. They hold positions of responsibility with insurance companies, consulting firms, investment banks, government regulatory organization, and government insurance programs.” Temple’s Actuarial Science program is one of the most distinguished in North America and has been recognized by the Society of Actuaries as a Center of Actuarial Excellence (CAE), one of only thirty institutions to receive this honor.
