This year the WBEET BayMaths competition for Year 7 and 8 students returned after a three-year lapse caused by COVID.

On October 18, Year 7 and 8 students from as far afield as Hamilton, Rotorua, and Taupō and teams from the Bay of Plenty put their heads together in an effort to win the mathematics problem-solving competition. Thirty-six Year 7 teams and thirty-four Year 8 teams (each team comprising three members) competed for medals, prizes and, of course, the trophy for the top team in each year group.

Major Year 7 placings for the top team overall went to Bethlehem College (first place), with Peachgrove Intermediate School coming second and Berkely Normal Middle School in third placing. Ōtūmoetai’s A team (Jacob Yuan, Jordan Wilce and Jessica Rountree) and our B team (Jackson Corrigan, Jack Alderson and Kieran Hutchison) also achieved commendable placings – 5th and 16th respectively.

In the Year 8 competition, the top teams were Berkely Normal Middle School (first), with Tauranga Intermediate second and Peachgrove Intermediate third. Our A team (Davin Patel, Ben Goddard and William Cummings) came out 12th overall and our B team (Abigail Lavin, Kane Whitwell and Neve Partner) achieved 16th placing – commendable results! Special mention needs to be made of Abigail’s performance, placing her as the 4th top individual student overall in the year 8 competition! Awesome, Abigail.

It was a fabulous evening’s event with lot’s of enjoyment and pleasure from both student competitors and their supporters.

We thank all our Ōtūmoetai Intermediate students, parents, including the PTA ladies, and staff who assisted on the evening as markers, runners and in various other capacities. Without that help and support the competition would not have been the success it was.

We are also indebted to the following firms and organisations for their support and sponsorship of the events: Western Bay Energy for Education Trust (Major Sponsor), New World Brookfield (prizes of grocery hampers for the Supporter’s Quiz), Palmers Garden Centre Bethlehem (plants and shrubs for venue decoration), The Monaco Corporation (Casio Calculator prizes), ASB (pens for each competitor), Number Works ‘n’ Words (spot brizes), Office Max Tauranga (spot prizes) and Brebner Print for the pads of working-paper).

Roll on the 2024 event!