NRHEG students excel at regional competition
REGIONAL CHAMPIONS — Pre-Calculus students from NRHEG High School captured the championship trophy at the regional TrigStar competition March 13. Front from left: Alyssa Esplan, Abby Christopherson, Eli Lutgens, Torrie Stencel, Corrie Powell, Sophia Fischer. Row two: Kayann Wibben, Anna Lundberg, Jamie Beckstrand, Nicole Edon, Jessica Nafe, Sandra Quezada, Katharine Lewer, Jenny Stoesz. Back: Whittney McCamish, Jorey Fischer, Colton Hagen, Tyler Schlaak, Emily Eder, Andy Schutrop, Cole Ignazewski, Dustin Sonnek. (Submitted photo)
On Friday, March 13, 21 Pre-Calculus students from NRHEG High School competed at the regional TrigStar competition at South Central College in North Mankato. TrigStar is a national trigonometry competition and scholarship program for high school students. It is sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and designed to encourage students to pursue a career in surveying. The regional competition was sponsored by Chapter One of the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS) out of Mankato.
The competition consists of an hour-long exam that is scored both on accuracy and speed. There are four questions, ranging from basic trigonometry questions to a very complex surveying question. The students from NRHEG have been studying trigonometry in Pre-Calculus second semester, and were well prepared by practicing previous years’ exams that are made available for students.
Seven schools competed for the team awards. NRHEG won both team awards, one for overall average test score for the entire team and another for highest cumulative test score of the top 10 from each team. For average team score, NRHEG had 76.5%, with Nicollet High School second with 75.4%, and United South Central third with 72%. For cumulative top 10 scores, NRHEG had 896 points, with Mankato West second with 876, and Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s third with 857. This is the first time NRHEG has won first place in either category, traditionally coming in second to Mankato West. NRHEG is now up for the state TrigStar title, determined once all other regions have completed testing.
Individually, only five students of the 155 students competing scored 100% on the exam, but three were from NRHEG. The overall individual winner was Nhi Tran from Mankato West, with a perfect score in a time of 38:01. Eli Lutgens of NRHEG was second overall, with a perfect score in 45:45. Torrie Stencel of NRHEG came in third with a time of 48:01. Mitchel Anderton of Fairmont was fourth with a time of 48:20. Abby Christopherson of NRHEG took fifth place with a time of 49:40.
“In the past years of competition, NRHEG has only ever had one student score 100%, so three perfect scores from one school in one year is quite an accomplishment,” said Pre-Calculus instructor Jenny Stoesz.
The staff and students of NRHEG surprised the TrigStar champions by lining the halls of the school, cheering as they returned to school that afternoon. The Pre-Calculus class was also given an ice cream sundae party by Stoesz as a reward for their hard work and accomplishment. Lutgens and Stencel will also be receiving engraved plaques for the second and third-place finishes.
