Bear Creek Student Qualifies for USA Junior Math Olympiad

Bear Creek student freshman Caleb Ji has qualified to sit for the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad exam on April 30 and May 1.

The United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) and the United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO), are each a six question, two day, 9 hour essay/proof examination. All problems can be solved with pre-calculus methods. 

“Although he has remarkable mathematical abilities, Caleb is quiet and unassuming, Steven Prokopchuk, Math Department chair at Bear Creek and Caleb’s math team coach said in a news release. "He is humble and gracious, yet if you ask him to explain a challenging math problem you will see him slowly look down and then with a tiny smile, his eyes light up. His mind is lightning fast and he has an almost unbelievable ability to break a problem down into manageable parts.” 

Prokopchuk adds, "Caleb spends hours creating worksheets for his fellow math team members and enjoys the opportunities he is given to teach during our math team meetings. I am excited to see where Caleb’s gifts take him, but even more excited to see how he will use these gifts to benefit others.”

In addition to qualifying for the USA Junior Math Olympiad, Caleb also participated in the Canadian Math Olympiad. And earlier this year, he placed third in the State in the calculus (highest possible) division at the Math is Cool Masters competition, an event that brings together all of Washington's very best high school math students – freshmen through seniors. 

The top 12 scoring USAMO students are invited to an Olympiad Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC. Six students will comprise the United States team that competes in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO began in 1959; the USA has participated since 1974.

About The Bear Creek School

Founded in 1988, in Redmond, The Bear Creek School is an Independent Classical Christian School with four campuses that serves students from the greater Eastside.