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ICJA Sophomore Excels in International Math
Competition
ICJA student, Hannah Otis, spent one week in May traveling in Israel as part of the final round of an international math competition, Ulpaniada. Hannah was the only American to place in the top 10. She writes the following about her experience:  I found out about the Ulpaniada
from Mrs. Stephanie Pederson, ICJA math teacher, when I went to one of
the
school’s math team meetings. Some friends and I decided to take the
tests, and,
fortunately, I was able to pass into the final level, which took place
in
Israel at a college known as Michlalah.
In the
beginning of May, I left school to travel to Israel for a week for the
Ulpaniada program. I was picked up at the airport by a student from the
college, and promptly taken to the school to start the program with the
other
kids who came from outside of Israel. Luckily, my sister is currently
attending
the seminary, so when we were put up in various dorm rooms there, I was
able to
stay with her. The program began Monday morning, when all the students in the chutz la’aretz program met for the first time. Although the majority of the students in my group were from America (primarily the East Coast), kids had come from England, France, Canada, Australia, South Africa, as well. It was really amazing to meet kids from around the world. We also had a math activity to help us prepare for the test that would happen the following day. The Ulpaniada program staff made us all feel relaxed on Monday with a tour of Jerusalem. Since all of us had visited Israel previously, we were able to see some of the more unusual tourist sites. After the tour, we went back to the campus for dinner and some icebreaker games. We began the test early Tuesday morning. The test, which lasted 3.5 hours, consisted of incredibly difficult logic/math questions. After the test, we had lunch and a fun activity of our choice (I personally participated in Kinesiology). We then attended the televised awards ceremony. Those of us who came in from chutz la’aretz were given headphones with a translated version of the ceremony. First, all 67 contestants who had reached the final round were given a certificate of participation. Then we listened to speeches including those given by the Israeli Minister of Education; Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister; Shimon Perez, the Israeli president; Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv; and Prof. Yisrael Aumann, a recipient of the Nobel Prize.  After the speeches, the
top 10
were called out, and I was the only American in the top 10. Two others
from
chutz la’aretz, one from Britain and one from Canada, made the top 10,
as well
as seven Israelis. The top three were called: two Israelis tied for 2nd
and 3rd
places, and the British girl, who will be attending Cambridge next year,
won
first prize. After the
ceremony, we had a
special dinner, and then played a pick up game of basketball on the
school’s
basketball court. After a very fun game and a subsequent water fight,
we
headed back to our dorms.On Wednesday, we were taken on a tour of Northern Israel. While on the trip, we went on a beautiful river hike, and spent a half-an-hour drying off before continuing on our outing. We visited sites such as an old army base on a mountaintop, with a great view of the rest of the Golan Heights. After that we headed back to the campus, where we threw a surprise party at midnight for one of the other chutz la’aretz kids, who turned eighteen while on the trip. Thursday morning we visited Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum. Since this was my first trip to the museum, the trip was a very intense experience for me. After the museum, we came back to campus to listen to a couple of classes at Michlalah’s seminary. The classes were beautiful, especially one in which we learned the meaning behind a blessing over food. We then had a last meal together as a group, made scrap-posters of our experiences, and said our final goodbyes. I had a fantastic time in Israel and am extraordinarily grateful to Ida Crown for the opportunity to go, and for the strong support that they showed for me. Not only was I able to take part in the competition, I was also able to travel to Israel and make some amazing friends from all over the world. |
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