Last week, Year 12 Further Mathematicians were getting ready for the most competitive and well-attended Integration Bee to date. With a record-breaking 30 students participating, the highest number in the school’s history, the atmosphere was electric from the very beginning.
This year’s event drew some of the school’s finest young mathematicians, with many eyes on past trends that have seen previous winners go on to study Mathematics at Cambridge and other top-tier universities. The standard was exceptionally high, and the competitive spirit even higher.
In the group stages, Eddie caused a major upset by defeating one of the early favourites, Maggie, through a masterful piece of reverse chain integration. However, Maggie showed great resilience, recovering from the loss to win all her remaining group matches. She clinched a decisive victory over Sasha in a tense showdown, though many felt Sasha was unfortunate not to progress.
The group stages were a spectacle of speed and elegance. Jake R and Manasseh advanced in style, their solutions both efficient and beautifully presented. Another memorable clash in the quarters came when Vasily and Cara locked horns, with Cara eventually edging her way into the final after a tight contest.
The final brought together two titans: Cara and the indomitable Maggie. The format was a best-of-three showdown. Cara drew first blood, taking the opening round. Maggie roared back to level the score in the second. The decider featured a fearsome trigonometric integral that pushed both competitors to their limits. In a moment of brilliance and sharp observation, Cara spotted an error in her work and back tracked beautifully. That insight proved decisive and secured her place in Emanuel School history as the fifth ever Integration Bee champion.
In keeping with tradition, Cara will now receive the coveted Integration Hat, which she has earned the right to wear proudly during any mathematics lesson of her choosing.
A huge thank you goes out to all participants for making this such a positive and exciting event.
We look forward to next year’s Bee with great anticipation!
-Mr Bishop, Head of Mathematics
