STEM in the Upper School

If you’ve walked by Robin Hori’s science classroom during periods 2 or 7 this semester, chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of students in the middle of a project build.

From water towers to bridges to trebuchets, students in grades 10 through 12 have been putting science and math to the test this year in the Upper School’s first ever, and student-requested, engineering class. Titled Integrated Engineering I and II (Engineering I and II beginning in 2024–2025), this lab-based course deeply emphasizes the engineering design cycle while exploring a variety of engineering fields: civil, mining, and chemical engineering in the fall, and mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering in the spring.

The Upper School engineering class is a lab-based course that emphasizes the engineering design cycle while exploring a variety of fields: civil, mining, and chemical engineering (fall), and mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering (spring).

“For years, we’ve been getting feedback from students that they want an engineering class,” said Upper School Principal Ingrid Gustavson. By designing a fresh approach to the Upper School’s earliest science courses (taken in 9th and 10th grades), Ingrid and her team made room for more subjects that students are interested in, including engineering. Longtime physics teacher Robin Hori was also game to take on this new opportunity—though he wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming reaction from the student body.

“It’s been more successful than I expected,” laughed Robin, whose fall class was filled with students who wanted to continue the course into spring semester—in addition to an entirely separate group of students who wanted to join the spring class. (Upper School students can take engineering during either fall or spring semester, or they can enroll in both semesters consecutively.) The Upper School had to add a second spring class to meet demand.

“The kids were so excited about it that we were approved to open up another section,” said Ingrid, “and Robin took on the class to give everybody that experience.”

It’s clear that this experience is meaningful to these students, many of whom were excited to share their gratitude, particularly about the hands-on nature of the class. As junior Spencer Brady put it, “Engineering is something you do; it's not something you just learn in theory,” and it was important to Robin to structure the class so students fully experience that doing of science in ways that stretch their brains and build their confidence.

“A lot of students have never built anything before and they’re really impressed they can actually build something that works,” said Robin. “Kids are really making an effort to understand why something works. And I’m trying to give them a sense that they can build things out of almost anything, and as long as they follow the science, they know it’ll work.”

To nurture these skills, Robin has structured the class around projects that support each field of engineering, such as building bridges during the study of civil engineering or building trebuchets during the study of mechanical engineering. Students are placed in small groups to promote real-world collaboration and given plenty of room to lead their own learning. Though Robin decides on assignments and parameters—for example, the first-semester bridge-building final required students’ projects to span 100 centimeters and support a moving load—he gives students plenty of freedom, acting as a coach and guide while they problem solve.

There’s lots of freedom in the class to explore.—Andrew Johnson, class of 2024

“He provides materials and concepts, then it’s up to the students to decide what path they want to take—and they can push outside guidelines,” explained senior Andrew Johnson. “There’s lots of freedom in the class to explore.”

For senior Kelton Ferriter, there’s also very low pressure. “It's kind of a perfect, stress-free, good way to get into engineering and explore various areas,” he said. “There’s so much creative freedom.” And this low-pressure approach is beneficial when it comes to practicing the engineering design cycle, from conducting research to creating a prototype to building a final project—and moving back and forth along that path through trial and error.

“These are big concepts, but being able to put them into a physical project and to really see how that works, and to watch where failures happen and when, it’s just a different dimension for learning,” said Kelton.

It’s also helping students become more comfortable with mistakes. “This semester, kids are more patient with failures because they know failure in engineering helps them become more successful,” said Robin. As a result, he continued, “final products are getting a lot better in terms of design, and students are better at explaining the mechanics of how and why a machine works or doesn’t work.”

To help his students become better at learning from mistakes, Robin requires them to keep professional engineering notebooks in which they record projects, including notes, observations, steps, designs, and corrections. All work is done in ink and students are trained to never tear out pages so that they can refer back to what they’ve done. For Spencer, an aspiring engineer and member of the school’s Monochromats robotics team, this is a key takeaway from the class. As a young builder, Spencer said he’s always been told to write down what he’s working on, but he never quite knew how until this year. “I really like how the class has taught me how exactly you write everything down and what you put in an engineering journal,” he shared.

“It’s nice to be able to go back and see where we made a mistake,” added Kelton, who’s acted as project manager for his group at times, a role that’s also helped him better understand how many ways there are to tackle a problem. “Everyone has a different idea and way to approach it, no matter what the project is,” he said. “The class is so open and creative.”

These are big concepts, but being able to put them into a physical project and to really see how that works, and to watch where failures happen and when, it’s just a different dimension for learning.—Kelton Ferriter, class of 2024

And the class isn’t just for one type of student. Every person brings to the table their individual talents and ideas, strengthening each project and even helping the students better understand where they may want to go next in their education and careers. Senior Rosie Schaefer, for one, said that the engineering class, which she’s taking after a summer 2023 internship with biomechanics professor Dr. Brittany Coats at the Utah Head Trauma Lab, has helped her better identify her career path.

“I realized I want to go into biomechanics—to help people with engineering,” she said. “I really enjoy research and I think that’s what I ultimately want to end up doing.” And, continued Rosie, in-class opportunities to share her evaluations of her group’s projects have helped her identify a talent of conveying science. “Where I’ve excelled is in the explanation of how things work: putting into words why what we’re doing makes sense,” she said.

Whatever their individual takeaways, though, many of the students agree that the class isn’t just for aspiring engineers. It’s for anyone who wants to learn more about the field, to build like a kid again, and to discover more about themselves. And because there are no prerequisites for the class, it makes what can often be thought of as a rarefied subject more accessible, opening doors to students who may not have tried it out otherwise. It’s just one example of how the team is putting Rowland Hall’s vision into action.

“As we evolve new courses, we’re offering new opportunities for students to go really deep,” said Ingrid. “And we’re offering life-changing and skill-building opportunities that are accessible to everyone.”

STEM

Sophie Zheng remembers the first time she saw a competition math problem in fifth grade. “It was nothing I’d ever seen before,” she remembered.

At the time, Sophie had been tackling her first-ever American Mathematics Competition (AMC) exam, an optional test that’s designed to promote problem-solving skills in students. She remembered that initial excitement about the test, about using unique perspectives to observe the world and weaving connections between concepts with utmost flexibility.

“I see competition math as a puzzle,” Sophie explained. “It’s not like school math, where you have an equation and follow it. There’s a lot more creativity involved.”

Math really isn’t a competition in itself. It’s about learning skills and a way to connect with friends around the world. It’s vibrant and joyful.—Sophie Zheng, class of 2024

So when she came to Rowland Hall in seventh grade, Sophie, now a senior, embraced the middle and upper schools’ offerings for students interested in the creative world of competition math. She joined (and now leads) MATHCOUNTS and the Upper School Math Club, and, inspired by the division’s successful Writing Center, founded the Math Center to offer tutoring to students. Along the way, she delved into the wider competition math community by joining the Utah American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) team, the Ross Mathematics Program, Math Prize for Girls, and the Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT). Sophie has also continued to take the AMC every year, placing in the top five of all girl competitors in the Intermountain Section since 2020, and has qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), the next level of AMC competition, every year since eighth grade. In 2020, she even earned an inaugural Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 Award for her work on the AMC, just one of the many recognitions she’s collected during her high school career.

Sophie has enjoyed opportunities to travel for mathematics competitions, both as an individual and as a member of the Utah ARML team, a selective group of mathematicians from Utah high schools. And this year has been especially exciting, as she’s had three opportunities to travel to Boston to compete not only in math, but also in scientific research. In October, Sophie went to MIT to participate in the Math Prize for Girls. In November, she attended HMMT with her ARML team. And later that month, she flew east again for the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award, where she defended her astronomy research, “Investigating the Origins of Hot Neptunes from Radial Velocity Data,” a project Sophie has spent two years on and which beautifully exemplifies how her math journey has helped to shape her goal to become an astrophysics researcher—a career, she said, that provides “a perfect integration of applied and pure math.” (By the way, Sophie’s research won silver.)

For Sophie, these trips to Boston go far beyond any wins or recognitions, though. In a journal she wrote about the experiences, titled “Three Trips to Boston,” the young mathematician and scientist shared how these opportunities have furthered her advocacy for gender equity, inspired collaboration, and invigorated her personal enjoyment of STEM.

“Math really isn’t a competition in itself. It’s about learning skills and a way to connect with friends around the world. It’s vibrant and joyful,” she said.

And though Sophie is busy preparing for college and the next chapter of her own journey, her senior year STEM experiences aren’t over quite yet. Sophie recently took the AMC and AIME once more, achieving personal records for both. As head MATHCOUNTS coach, she’s guiding middle schoolers to the state competition in March. She’s also extending her astronomy project to participate in this year’s science fair and to submit her paper for publication. And in May, she’ll be traveling with her ARML team for the national ARML tournament. Best of luck, Sophie! We know you’ll do great.

Below, we share Sophie’s journal reflection, “Three Trips to Boston.”

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Three Trips to Boston

By Sophie Zheng, Class of 2024

This fall: three times I stepped out of the same airport at 5 AM, Utah time, on a Saturday morning and rushed to university campuses with a sense of purpose. The Math Prize for Girls (MPFG), Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT), and the S.-T. Yau North America High School Science Award were all held at the most famous universities in Boston through back-to-back weekends. The MPFG, the largest contest for female students, brought together about 250 girls who were invited to promote gender equity in STEM through showcasing their mathematical creativity. The HMMT, as one of the most popular high school competitions in the world, draws thousands of students in over a hundred teams globally to engage in math reaching beyond traditional curriculums. Lastly, the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award, founded in 2008 by Fields Medal winner Prof. Shing-Tung Yau, inspires scientific innovations from high school students all over the world. Through writing academic papers and defending their research, students cultivate innovative thinking and collaborative spirits. Amidst 48-hour whirlwind trips every weekend, I traversed the corridors of three renowned Boston universities, immersing myself in all three of these STEM endeavors.

MPFG is not just a platform to spotlight individual skills. It is a crucial frontier for female participation in math competitions. In the world of STEM, where the gender gap looms prominently, competitors like me who have felt the strength of solidarity in the battle for gender equity carry a responsibility to pass on our vision. It's a call for everyone, irrespective of gender, to fearlessly pursue their passions in STEM.

This July, I was thrilled to receive the news that I qualified for the MPFG and immediately intensified my math studying in preparation. The night before the contest, over 250 girls met each other at game night at MIT. I not only reunited with friends from past summer math camps, but also met a larger community of girls who all shared a profound love for mathematics. We exchanged stories about our mathematical journeys and experiences, forging connections through our shared passion. The following morning thrust us into the 20-question, 150-minute test. Despite the jetlag, the adrenaline had woken me up hours earlier, and I felt ready to face these problems head-on. 263 tables, 263 chairs, and 263 school girls spread out in a massive ballroom to stretch our brain muscles to their limits. Out of all the math contests I had ever taken, I felt this was definitely the one where time was the tightest. I was able to solve 7 out of the 20 questions correctly, and secured the rank of 42nd place, narrowly missing an honorable mention, which needed 8 correct answers. While my performance received much praise, what resonated more profoundly with me was the substantial gap that separated me from the first-place winner. Rather than discouragement, this wide margin inspires me to continue striving for proficiency. Moreover, MPFG is not just a platform to spotlight individual skills. It is a crucial frontier for female participation in math competitions. In the world of STEM, where the gender gap looms prominently, competitors like me who have felt the strength of solidarity in the battle for gender equity carry a responsibility to pass on our vision. It's a call for everyone, irrespective of gender, to fearlessly pursue their passions in STEM.

In my second trip to Boston, together with five other Utah ARML team members from various schools and our coach, we flew to the east coast to represent Utah in the HMMT. The Utah ARML team—a club that convenes weekly to practice cooperation on math problems and partake in national tournaments—traditionally competes in the HMMT twice every year; once in November, and once in February. The competition lasted a whole 8-hour day and consisted of two individual rounds—the General Round and Theme Round; and two team rounds—the Team Round and Guts Round. The individual rounds offered exciting challenges with stimulating questions, but the true highlight was undeniably the team rounds, which displayed the synergy we had honed during team practices throughout the year. The ability to synchronize a flow of individual ideas toward a shared solution is what I love most about math. It is in these moments of collaborative problem-solving that the beauty and joy of mathematics come to life. Our Utah team won an impressive 19th place out of approximately 120 teams, as all 6 members in our team displayed strong performances. I placed 11th in the Theme Round, and another team member ranked 10th in the General Round. Our achievements continue the legacy of the Utah ARML team and serve as an inspiration for the rising younger generation. In the Rowland Hall MATHCOUNTS team and Upper School Math Club, I have encountered so many talented students during my years as a member and coach. My hope is that more Rowland Hall students can venture into the wider community of competition math and see the Utah ARML team for themselves. 

The entire process of my research served as a constant reminder of why STEM captivates me. It taught me to identify core issues, explore creative solutions, and build upon past contributions for advancing scientific frontiers.

On my latest trip to Boston, I defended my astronomy research thesis for the S.-T. Yau High School Science Award at Brandeis University. In the 15-minute presentation and ensuing question session from professional judges, I explained how I modeled astronomical data to detect extrasolar planets, coded statistical analyses to study their parameters, and derived physics equations to interpret my results. The feedback from my judges and winning the Silver Award (second place) in the physics category brought back memories of the past two years, from learning foundations of physics to mathematically resolving astronomical mysteries. The entire process of my research served as a constant reminder of why STEM captivates me. It taught me to identify core issues, explore creative solutions, and build upon past contributions for advancing scientific frontiers. Looking to the future, my exploration is only the first glimpse into the greatest mysteries of the universe and our existence.

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Banner: Sophie Zheng competes at the 2023 Math Prize for Girls. All photos courtesy Sophie Zheng.

Student Voices

Sophomore Fanni Ventilla used to have a stream in her backyard.

It was a place in which she and her siblings could splash on summer days, the flowing water nourishing the trees along the bank that provided refuge both for children who needed a break from the sun as well as for the owls that roosted in their branches. As the sun lowered, the family could hear the owls hooting into the cooling air.

But over the years, as global temperatures have continued to rise, Fanni watched her beloved stream slowly shrink, then fully dry out.

“As the temperature increased, the stream stopped flowing,” she shared, and the losses cascaded from there. “This caused many of the nearby trees to dry out. Some of these trees were recently cut down, and, as a result, the owls that used to come to our yard were forced to find a new home. It’s sad to not hear the hooting.”

Extreme heat has been the number-one weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last three decades, and future heat waves will continue to threaten lives around the globe. By identifying urban heat islands, we can better pinpoint where life-saving heat mitigation resources should be prioritized.

In today’s changing climate, stories like these are not uncommon. Rising temperatures are affecting environments as small as individual backyards and as massive as polar ice caps. They’re also wreaking havoc on human bodies: extreme heat has been the number-one weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last three decades, and future heat waves will continue to threaten lives around the globe.

And even though extreme heat is here to stay for the foreseeable future, Rowland Hall Coordinator of Climate Studies Rob Wilson hasn’t lost hope in our ability to protect one another from its impact—and he doesn’t want his students to either. That’s why, in early 2023, Rob jumped on an opportunity for his climate science class to get involved in a community project to map extreme heat, to better safeguard lives.

In partnership with representatives from Utah State University's Utah Climate Center, Salt Lake City, and the Natural History Museum of Utah, the class helped to apply Salt Lake City for participation in the annual urban heat island mapping campaign, a citizen scientist program funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cities chosen for this program (more than 60 to date) are provided support from CAPA Strategies, an organization that helps map heat distribution within communities. The goal of this work is to identify urban heat islands—hotspots that can measure up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than areas with more trees, more grass, and less pavement that absorbs heat—so that local decision-makers can better pinpoint where life-saving heat mitigation resources should be prioritized. This work is necessary because urban heat islands are often home to those most vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat, which are exacerbated in environments that are unable to cool to under 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature bodies need for recovery. And when people don’t have access to cooler environments, Rob explained, damage can happen quickly.

Being able to collect the data, view the data afterward, and see how people are going to use that information to better our community makes me feel proactive rather than a bystander.—Maddie Mulford, class of 2024

“When experiencing extreme heat, the body responds by dilating the peripheral blood vessels to release heat through the skin. This causes a drop in blood pressure and leads to reduced blood flow to internal organs, and can lead to chronic heat-related illness such as kidney failure,” he said. “In acute cases, when body temperature gets too hot—such as when you live in a space without air conditioning in a city hotspot, over multiple days of a heat wave—the body experiences heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Heat stroke is a medical emergency, and develops when body temperature exceeds the range of tolerance of the cells and organs begin to fail.”

Rob and his students knew that mapping Salt Lake’s hotspots would make a real difference in saving lives during heat waves, so when it was announced that the city was one of 18 communities in 14 US states and one international city chosen for the 2023 campaign, they were ready jump into action—both to help map data and to use that information to make a difference to others.

“I think there's not enough opportunities for people to feel like they're doing something hands-on to help people, especially when it comes to issues like extreme heat or climate change,” said senior Maddie Mulford, who was integral to the early project proposals to the city and who, along with classmate Max Jansen, drove a route for the Salt Lake City campaign. “Being able to collect the data, view the data afterward, and see how people are going to use that information to better our community makes me feel proactive rather than a bystander. I think programs like these are a good way of showing that people don't need to be a huge political figure or start a super new and innovative organization to fight climate change. Helping can look as simple as driving around on a Saturday afternoon.”

Maddie’s observation is what Rob always hopes his climate science students take away from class.

“I want students to feel empowered,” he said, and this goal has played a major role in how he’s structured climate science, now in its fourth year. “This subject feels alarmist—and you’re going to get the alarmist message for your entire life. I want to avoid that. Part of helping students to not give in to alarmist messages is to offer them opportunities to take real action against some of the hardest problems our planet is facing. Action is incredibly empowering, and it helps you realize that you can make a difference. We saw this as we worked on this campaign: the mapping project gave us agency. We could address something that’s important to ourselves, our neighbors, and our city, that will help us cope with changes that are happening in our city.”

Part of helping students to not give in to alarmist messages is to offer them opportunities to take real action against some of the hardest problems our planet is facing. Action is incredibly empowering, and it helps you realize that you can make a difference.—Rob Wilson, coordinator of climate studies

Many members of the community also felt that empowerment as they came together for Salt Lake’s heat mapping campaign on July 15. That day, 42 volunteers, including Rowland Hall students and community members, mounted sensors on their cars and drove 10 routes around the city in the early morning, afternoon, and evening, recording the temperature and humidity data that CAPA Strategies would use to create the city’s heat map. This work, which took place over a weekend in which tens of millions of US citizens were under heat advisories, captivated more than just those who were there. Multiple news outlets covered the project between July 13 and 19, and Maddie and Max, along with classmate Angus Hickman, joined Rob on RadioACTive, a local program that highlights grassroots activists and community builders, to share their experiences and talk about why heat mapping is necessary.

Fanni was among those watching the coverage on the news and via the school's Instagram account, and she was inspired by what she saw. Since taking AP Environmental Science at her last school (Fanni transferred to Rowland Hall for sophomore year), she’s spent a lot of time thinking about how pollution contributes to the heat waves that have affected not only her backyard trees, but also her grandmother, who lives in Europe. “My grandma is worried about going outside due to the extreme heat because she has heart issues,” said Fanni. “She has no access to AC, and if homes don’t cool down it causes health problems. That really worries me.”

As she watched some of her new peers contribute to a project that will provide real solutions to local residents, Fanni realized she, too, could do something that would both ease her worries and help support ongoing heat mitigation efforts. This fall, she took action by starting the Upper School’s Climate Action Club, which has set a goal to collaborate with TreeUtah to help plant trees in the hotspots identified in Salt Lake City’s Heat Watch Report and to create a website that will teach others how they can help.

“The heat mapping data makes it clear that we need to take action and we need to take it now,” said Fanni, who joined junior CJ Wujkowska on an October 30 follow-up episode of RadioACTive to discuss next steps that will be taken in Salt Lake’s heat mitigation efforts. “I want to help the city stop the urban heat island effect by planting trees and educating the population in this area about the importance of taking responsibility for the environment.”

I felt like I could do nothing, but now I know I can, and I want people to know they can do something. Everyone can take small steps that will make a better future—and even help now.—Fanni Ventilla, class of 2026

And Fanni isn't the only student applying the data. This year’s climate science students have been hard at work studying the Heat Watch Report findings, and each has picked an area that speaks to them and that they want to explore further: long- and short-term heat-related illness (Ani Agarwal), heat and mental health (Brooke Brown), heat and topography (Hayden Kaufman Schiller), heat and outdoor work (Kiri Mannelin), urban heat and sports training (Bea Martin), heat and air quality (Lulu Murphy), urban heat and redlining (Cam Prichard), and heat and invasive insects (CJ Wujkowska). In addition to writing articles about their chosen subjects for submission to The Gazette, the Upper School newspaper, each student created a poster about their subject that was shared with community members who attended Making the Invisible Visible, a November 5 community event that brought together members of the Salt Lake City heat mapping team, scientists, policy makers, and community members to discuss the Heat Watch Report and solutions that will help the community be more resilient to future heat waves.

It is just the start of what’s to come of this important work, and a promising glimpse of how Rowland Hall students will continue to tackle climate concerns.

“I felt like I could do nothing, but now I know I can,” said Fanni, “and I want people to know they can do something. It’s not just a problem that only scientists and professionals can solve. Everyone can take small steps that will make a better future—and even help now."

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Banner photo: Upper schoolers Maddie Mulford and Max Jansen show one of the heat mapping probes that was used to gather temperature and humidity data in Salt Lake City on July 15, 2023.

Authentic Learning

By Caelum van Ispelen, Class of 2023

Saunter past Upper School room A-11 on Wednesdays at lunch and you will hear the rumbling gears of some fascinating minds.

Some days you'll listen to combinatorics; other times it might be hyperbolic trigonometry—or if you're lucky, the venerable Chicken McNugget theorem. But invariably, that classroom holds students exploring the reaches of mathematical knowledge that extend well beyond what is traditionally taught in school.

This is the Math Club: a group of students coming together to connect over mathematics and its enigmas. Led by senior Zachary Klein, with the guidance of seasoned math teacher Adella Croft, its five-year history has seen not only valuable connection and bonding over a shared interest, but also exceptional performances in national and international mathematics competitions.

Compared to the courses offered at school, the Math Club offers a much more varied perspective on mathematics. "We don't have a set agenda; we just do what interests us," said club president Zachary. For many students across all knowledge levels, this flexibility rekindles an appreciation for math's intrinsic beauty. "It's refreshing to think about a broader range of approaches to problems rather than peering through the same lens for the whole year, as would be the case in a class," said club member Caelum van Ispelen.

There's something meaningful in struggling with a problem and not managing to make progress. It's valuable exposure for everyone, and we learn how to deal with things that seem impossible.—Senior Zachary Klein, Math Club president

A primary goal of the club is to enrich people's appreciation for the creativity in math and problem-solving. Asked about the difference between competition and school math, Zachary said, "The main difference is your level of preparedness ... when you take a math test at school, you've already seen the same problems, just with different numbers." In competition math, he argues, none of the questions follow this pattern. "You're never going to see a problem you've seen before. You have the tools to solve them, but you have to figure out how to use those tools in a way that's almost unique to yourself and your identity."

Even students who might not find a use for the range of mathematical concepts covered in the Math Club still walk away with indispensable wisdom: the ability to fail. "There's something meaningful in struggling with a problem and not managing to make progress," said Zachary. "It's valuable exposure for everyone, and we learn how to deal with things that seem impossible."

As students leave for college and brace themselves for the much-increased challenge of its courses, this exposure will certainly come into play. In fact, many Math Club members are already experiencing university-level rigor in the form of the newly introduced Advanced Topics in Mathematics course. Faced with the complexities of percolation and group theory, these students find themselves remembering the Math Club wisdom in their struggle to persevere. "Doing competition math and taking tests where 25 percent is considered a good score definitely sparked my tenacity for challenging material," said Caelum.

Armed with a drive to connect to other math-minded people, the members of the Math Club are helping to spread their burgeoning knowledge to younger students as well. Zachary now leads Mission Math Utah, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating awareness and appreciation for STEM topics across elementary and middle school students. Remarking on the organization's no-questions-asked financial aid policy for tutoring and competitions, Zachary said, "I've heard from people how thankful they are for the easy financial aid, and it lets them discover more math. That's really meaningful to me."

Senior Zachary Klein and juniors Dean Hijjawi, Sophie Zheng, and Isabelle Jiang ranked in the top 5 percent of American Mathematics Contest test takers, qualifying for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). This success marks the second-highest number of AIME-qualifying students from any school in Utah in 2023—as well as the fourth year in a row Rowland Hall students have performed at this level.

Beyond the Math Club's success in spreading creativity, the 2022–2023 school year has been no exception to the students' prowess in nationally renowned competitions. After periods of intense studying, wrestling through heaps of problems and scratch paper, students in the Math Club participated in the American Mathematics Contest (AMC), an immensely competitive exam that demands the most creative and intricate problem-solving skills. In a stellar performance, senior Zachary Klein and juniors Dean Hijjawi, Sophie Zheng, and Isabelle Jiang ranked in the top 5 percent of AMC test takers, qualifying for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). This success marks the second-highest number of AIME-qualifying students from any school in Utah in 2023—as well as the fourth year in a row Rowland Hall students have performed at this level.

On top of this astounding achievement, students from the Math Club participating in the American Regional Mathematics League (ARML) are performing phenomenally as well. With their participation, the Utah team won first place in the ARML Power international competition in 2022. The team was then invited to travel to Boston where they competed in the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament. In the team round, they ranked seventh place in the nation.

Given this legacy of achievement and contributions spread throughout the past five years, the Math Club will continue to thrive. And with Zachary graduating this year, it will be up to the younger generations of students to take the helm—and they are well prepared.

Student Voices