My cheeks burned, and my heart raced. I opened my mouth, but my voice caught in my throat.
I had experienced parents being upset with me, but not a hundred all at once!
I was shocked and horrified. I’d advertised flyers for free math classes on Tuesday. It was Saturday, and I now stood in front of a very large crowd.
My flyer made it farther than I could ever have imagined. There were kids from neighboring counties at the library! All I could think was – where did they park?!
Apparently, when you advertise something for free, it’s a good idea to also put SPACES LIMITED; REGISTRATION REQUIRED. I’d sincerely hoped to get at least one kid to come to my competition math class, but I wasn’t prepared for ALL of them!
Later that evening, I sat down and composed an apology email and outlined my vision for a math circle in St. John’s County (luckily, my dad had collected everyone’s contact info earlier). I hit send the next morning.
That was day one of what is now Saint Augustine Math Circle, a chapter of our parent organization, Orlando Math Circle. In less than a month, seventy-five kids have registered. We offer free weekly Zoom classes, national math competitions like Math Kangaroo, Math Con, and Math Olympiad (MOEMS), and a Google classroom with helpful practice problems and solutions.
We’ve also had some amazing volunteers begin training so we can expand access to resources like our Zoom classes. There are pilots, engineers, teachers, doctors, and parents who have graciously donated their time and expertise to growing this endeavor.
A year ago, I was just looking to take the American Mathematics Competition. My high school didn’t offer it so I drove to Orlando to participate. But Orlando Math Circle had so much more to offer – in addition to several national math competitions, my peers and I enjoy an annual trip to the University of Florida’s math department and bioinformatics lab, participate in college research opportunities with UF, and study with professors and grad students.
What’s really amazing, though, is the collaborative community Orlando Math Circle has established; we are able to connect with fellow math lovers and learn and grow and have fun together. That community facilitates volunteer and leadership opportunities for kids like me, while also providing invaluable mentorship. We are benefactors of expert guidance, support, and tools. And we are using these tools to help change our communities.
The positive response from local families to this initiative has been overwhelming. We’ve all accidentally discovered the huge demand in Northern Florida for an organized math community. Kids are excited to interact with fun and challenging math problems.
It’s been rewarding watching our new students struggle, succeed, and gain confidence, while developing their joy for mathematics. I look forward to building a math community together with you. As one parent very kindly shared with me, “The edifices of mathematics are built brick by brick”.
This is only the beginning, and I’m thrilled and grateful to be a part of this movement!
