Minds Inspired celebrates outstanding talent at annual Maths Challenge

Minds Inspired celebrated the remarkable mathematical talents of students at its 13^th Annual Maths Challenge. The two-day event, which was held 27 to 28 November at the University College of the Cayman Islands, welcomed 75 junior and senior students from seven public and private schools, as well as home school students, who all share a love for mathematics.  

Launched by Dart in 2013, the Minds Inspired Maths Challenge was created to strengthen students’ analytical, calculation and problem-solving skills through friendly and spirited competition. The event features a range of activities, including individual challenges, school team events and mixed-school team competitions – each designed to test students’ problem-solving skills, promote resilience and foster collaborative thinking – and mirrors the international standards of the Mathematics Olympiad events.

On Thursday, 27 November, students from Years 7 to 9 competed in the junior division, tackling a series of fast-paced mental maths challenges, logic puzzles and team-based tasks. At the end of the day, Haris Ahmed of Cayman Prep & High School claimed the coveted title of Junior Overall Winner and St. Ignatius Catholic School secured victory as the first-place winner of the Junior School Team Event.  

The following day, senior students from Years 10 to 13 stepped up to the challenge, demonstrating advanced reasoning, creativity and mathematical strategy in a competition that brought together some of Cayman’s most promising young scholars. The senior division concluded with Jake Fagan, a Year 13 student at Cayman Prep & High School and a Dart Scholar, named as the Overall Winner.  

“Mathematics is a universal language. The Minds Inspired Maths Challenge is designed not only to sharpen the analytical skills of the participating students, but it also sparks curiosity, builds confidence and opens doors to high-demand careers – from artificial intelligence, data science and engineering to finance, cybersecurity and medical research,” said Glenda McTaggart, Dart’s senior manager for education programmes.

“Each year, we see students pushing themselves further, supporting one another and discovering new strengths, which is truly inspiring to witness,” McTaggart continued.

The Minds Inspired Maths Challenge continues to be a cornerstone of Dart’s commitment to increasing access to high-quality STEM experiences, encouraging academic excellence and inspiring Cayman’s next generation of innovators.

See the full list of winners below:

Junior Individual Winners

·         Junior Overall Winner – Haris Ahmed, Cayman Prep & High School

·         Grade 6/Year 7 Winner – Haris Rusa Boca, Cayman International School

·         Grade 7/Year 8 Winner – Haris Ahmed, Cayman Prep & High School

·         Grade 8/Year 9 Winner – Luca Yates, Triple C School

Junior School Team Event ‘Crack the Code’

·         First Place – St. Ignatius Catholic School

·         Runner-up – CF School

Junior Mixed Team Competition

·         First Place – Madeleine Brendel (St. Ignatius Catholic School), Isabelle Fox (Cayman Prep & High School) and Gianna Palmer (Clifton Hunter High School)

·         Second Place – Cameron MacBain (home school), Bodhi Lam Yan Foon (CF School) and Zachary Wu (Cayman International School)

·         Third Place – Haris Rusa Boca (Cayman International School), Zaiden Doctor (John Gray High School) and Ben Lymbery (CF School)

Senior Individual Winners

·         Senior Overall Winner – Jake Fagan, Cayman Prep & High School and Dart Scholar

·         Grade 9/Year 10 Winner – Liam Chestnut, Cayman Prep & High School

·         Grade 10/Year 11 Winner – Lance Ch’ng, St. Ignatius Catholic School

·         Grade 11/Year 12 Winner – Neha Ravichandran, St. Ignatius Catholic School

·         Grade 12/Year 13 Winner – Jake Fagan, Cayman Prep & High School and Dart Scholar

Senior Mixed Team Competition

·         First Place – Sienna Bryan (St. Ignatius Catholic School and Dart Scholar), Ikenna Eleweanya (John Gray High School} and Jake Fagan (Cayman Prep & High School and Dart Scholar)

·         Second Place – Noah Hammad (Triple C School), Rishona Chambers (Clifton Hunter High School) and Matthew Gayle (John Gray High School)

·         Third Place – Lance Ch'ng (St. Ignatius Catholic School), Nithya Namburi (Cayman Prep & High School) and Nathaniel Powell (John Gray High School)

For more information about the Maths Challenge and other Minds Inspired initiatives, visit mindsinspired.ky.