Contests As Supplemental Curriculum

Central to the philosophy of MIST Academy is that contests are one of the very best ways to enrich the educational experiences of bright students:

  • Contests excite people. We succeed when we get young people excited about their education.
  • The best problems are usually contest problems. The best contest problems are typically written by professional mathematicians and problemists who understand how to force a student to dig deeper and learn something new in order to get an answer.
  • Contests involve teamwork. Some, but not all contests involve an element of peer cooperation that gifted students rarely experience in a regular classroom. MIST Academy programs leverage the work of all its students to push every individual forward. After all, the strengths and successes of our peers help propel us to greater heights.
  • Success at contests is greater recognition than simply earning an A in a math class. Such achievement requires more preparation, a greater depth of understanding of the curriculum, sharper problem solving skills, and long-term retention of concepts.

The MIST Academy curriculum includes all the subjects of focus in an ordinary school, plus numerous additional subject areas. In addition to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, the MIST curriculum includes significant amounts of number theory, combinatorics, game theory, and greater depth in all areas of math -- particularly their intersections. Math contests are rich in these additional subject areas, and the level of difficulty of the problems is usually right for avid young learners.

Contest problems typically include the best problems for advanced students -- often written by mathematicians and top problem solvers, contest problems are sometimes designed to test solvers with their ability to handle and make use of new concepts. Top students don't need to work on the same problems over and over. They need fresh challenges every day. MIST Academy helps bright students train their mental problem solving skills more rapidly by providing students with the best set of problems at their level.

Visit the MIST Academy classes page for more details.


National Math Contests

Please visit the Alabama Math Team page for a calendar of math team events. MIST Academy students will be prepared to participate in a host of the most inspiring math competitions:

Alabama Area Math Contests

Please visit the Alabama Math Team page for a calendar of math team events. MIST Academy students will be prepared to participate in a host of the most inspiring math competitions. More events will be added to this list soon. Many of the pages below include past contests and answers!