Merrifield grade 5 pupil, Hugo Böhner surprised, not only his teachers and peers, but also himself, when he was awarded the runner-up certificate and silver medal at the recent Association for Mathematics Education of SA (AMESA)awards ceremony in Johannesburg.
Böhner was acknowledged as one of the top 10 pupils in the junior division in the country.
He was among 84,426 entrants and received a cash prize of R2,000.
Böhner expressed his excitement for his results and has plans for his prize money.
“I was surprised. I did not expect such an excellent result, I am very happy, and I am proud of this achievement. What I love about mathematics is that when you think really hard about a problem and solve it, then you get very satisfied with yourself.
“I have already bought a toy Nerf gun, I want to buy an iPad cover with a keyboard and to spend the rest on video games,” Böhner said.
According to Merrifield maths teacher Lisa Musto, Böhner exhibited great mathematical talent, which is what resulted in his involvement in the competition.
“His ability to apply what he knows in new and unknown contexts is remarkable.
“Questions are not always straight forward in AMESA challenges. Another strength of Hugo’s has been how easily he has adapted to English tuition, as his family relocated from Hungary in January.” Musto said.
The mathematics challenge consisted of three rounds. The first round was open to all and the pupils who achieved 50% or more proceeded to the second round. The top achievers in the second round, were then invited to write in the final round.
Merrifield maths academy teacher Diane Bossé, believes Böhner’s achievement will inspire his peers.
“Hugo’s achievement inspires others to pursue their interests and talents. Celebrating with him was spontaneous and heartwarming. At Merrifield, our educational approach is centred around the individual; facilitating development of talent & interests as much as is possible within the school day.
“In this instance, pupils displaying an aptitude for mathematics are invited to attend maths academy lessons, which helps prepare them for AMESA challenges,” Bossé said.