Competitive Contest Coaching
The Competitive Contest Coaching Club is an exclusive program for the top students who will compete internationally, representing Spirit of Math Schools. This is a series of intensive high-level coaching sessions for students looking for an extreme challenge.
Students must submit an application and participate in an entrance competition. Only the top 24 students per level will be selected for the Competitive Contest Coaching. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.
The Application Process
The deadline to submit the following documents is June 30, 2023.
- A recent report card with a minimum of 92% in mathematics
- Three math contest certificates with honour roll for grades 5-12
- Two math contest certificates with honour roll for grades 3-4
- A recommendation letter from their math teacher
All applicants who successfully submitted their documents, will be invited to compete for the top 24 positions within their level. This competition consists of two parts: writing a creative solution to an unrealistic scenario and solving math contest questions. This will take place virtually in mid to late August 2023.
To stay in the program, students need to be active participants and contribute to the learning of other members which will give them the full benefit from the coaching experience. As members of the club, students are expected to:
- Compete in at least three prestigious math competitions during the school year.
- Participate in team competitions, as organized by your coach.
- Complete one group discovery project and presentation.
- Attend virtual Competitive Contest Coaching Club general meetings.
Application Fee: $30
Program Fee: FREE
Classes will start mid September and run until mid June.
Day: Saturday or Sunday (TBD)
Time: 10:00 or 11:00 am EST (TBD)
Duration: 2 hours, once a month
Contest dates and additional coaching will be scheduled with your coach.
Guest Speaker
Discovery Topics
Algebraic Geometry
To view the presentation, click here
Complex Numbers
To view the presentation, click here
Fractals
To view the presentation, click here
Indirect proof
To view the presentation, click here
Induction Introduction
To view the presentation, click here
Optimization
To view the presentation, click here
Our Coaches
Matthew participated in his first math competition at the age of 6. Ever since that first competition sparked his passion for math, he wrote many more contests throughout elementary and high school. He is a Spirit of Math alumni, where he also worked as an Assistant Teacher for four years. Matthew earned his Bachelor of Mathematics through the University of Waterloo’s Financial Analysis and Risk Management program, where he completed study terms in Hong Kong and Waterloo and internships in Los Angeles and Toronto. He is currently studying to become a CFA charter holder and is headed back to school in the fall of 2023 to pursue a Master of Finance degree at Rotman School of Management. He currently works in the securitization and sales of mortgage-backed securities.
Besides working in capital markets, Matthew loves to share his enthusiasm for mathematics. Currently, he has 12 years of experience training students for competitions and tutoring school curriculum. He strives to foster a fun and engaging learning environment and pushes his students to try and win national and global competitions. Being the Intermediate Competitive Contest Club coach, he enjoys working with his students and observing their faces of satisfaction upon discovering the solution to the most challenging questions!
Bonnie McLoughlin was born and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has a B.Sc. in Mathematics and a B.Ed. from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master of Mathematics for Teachers from the University of Waterloo. Bonnie has worked for Spirit of Math as a teacher of grades 5 through 11 since 2007, as a curriculum specialist, and as a Competitive Contest Coach since 2021. She has also had experience writing and editing math contests. Bonnie loves problem solving and creating collaborative projects to explore new ideas with her students. For fun, she enjoys reading and video games, and is working on a daily solving streak of New York Time Crossword Puzzles. Her cat Kali sometimes makes guest appearances in her online classes.
Seema Gupta is a Junior Competitive Contest Coach. She earned her MSc in mathematics from C.C.S University in India. She has been working as a teacher for Grades 7 and 8 at Spirit of Math Schools in Vancouver, Canada, for more than seven years. She organized math competitions in the United States and guided students on how to handle challenging math questions using strong strategies & critical thinking. She encourages students to take an active and engaging role in their learning by facilitating opportunities for inquiry, collaboration, and reflection. She actively participates as a volunteer at BC schools and helps organize math competitions. Besides teaching, she loves to go camping and spending time with her family.
Student Testimonials
Intermediate Students
“I enjoyed the discovery topic presentations. It gave us the opportunity to, well, discover interesting math topics and forced (but in a good way) us to delve deeper into advanced topics and gain more knowledge.“
“I liked the chance to participate in more contests that I wouldn’t be able to if I wasn’t in this program.“
Junior Students
“I liked that instructors gave many math contests to us to solve and teach us how to solve the hardest questions. I also like the Discovery Topic Presentation that we have to do. “
“I liked the group contests like Noetic, and I also liked when we got into groups, and we solved questions. Basically, I like working in a group. “
Senior Students
“I liked how clear the coach was when explaining all the problems and providing interesting questions to work on. “
“I really loved the discovery topics this year because I have never really learnt about different mathematical proofs. “
Parent Testimonials
Challenging!
“The Club provides opportunities for students to participate in national and international math contests which otherwise are more challenging to register and get proctoring for. Weekly and monthly problem sets and quizzes encourage to explore and learn new math topics. The most important part are the inspirational peers, fun to study with and to stay motivated. “
– Katerina C.
Grade 9 Parent
Appreciation!
“I highly appreciate the Competitive Contest Coaching Club. My daughter, Lauren, has been a part of the club since the club started. She is a talented kid and loves math. She enjoys the club very much and gets a chance to work with some really talented and hard-working kids. Through the club, Lauren got to explore some interesting math topics and finished some group projects with other kids. Also, she got to compete in some challenging math contests.
I will strongly recommend it to other parents and encourage kids to apply for the Competitive Contest Coaching Club. “
– Jing C.
Grade 6 Parent
