Mathematical Minds: Mikhael Chan and Hong Rian

We are proud that Mikhael Riyo Chan of 6 Topaz and Hong Rian of 5 Topaz have achieved the Bronze award in the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools (SMOPS) and Annual Mathlympics 2022 respectively.

The SMOPS is an annual event organised by Hwa Chong Institution that sets out to generate interest in Mathematics among students in primary schools and sharpening their problem-solving skills. Mikhael shared that he loves Mathematics and is overjoyed and proud to have won the Bronze award. He enjoys Math lessons and his Math teacher, Ms Genevieve Thong, is the kindest teacher he has ever known. “I am glad that the SMOPS was held in school, so the environment was familiar and not very tense for me. I prepared for the competition by searching up on past Math Olympiad questions online and trying them out,” he quipped. He shared that there was actually one question in the paper that was really tedious and required many steps to solve it. He felt frustrated but he persevered. He was elated when he finally solved it after a good twenty minutes. His advice to all students is, “The question may seem tough initially but do continue trying, never give up. You will solve it!”

The Annual Mathlympics aims to enhance students’ problem-solving skills. Rian is honoured to have won the Bronze award. She shared that she was very excited to take part in the competition. She shared, “During the competition, when seated amongst the other students who had attended the training, I felt really nervous. However, I was grateful that I had practiced hard for it as it helped to build up my confidence for the competition. My strategy was to quickly read through all the problems once and solve the ones that I could do first.” She added that she tried her very best and never once thought of giving up. She quipped, “Always read the questions very carefully. Be focused and never give up!”

Continue to Aim for Excellence in Mathematics, Mikhael and Rian!