Hudson Montessori School Students Earn Recognition at Prestigious Math Competitions

Mathematics helps students develop logical reasoning, precision, and confidence in tackling real-world challenges, making it an essential part of a well-rounded, future-ready education.

At Hudson Montessori School, math is a key component of our robust STEAM curriculum. By analyzing data in science, designing structures in engineering, writing code in technology, or understanding patterns in art, math provides the foundation for making sense of complex ideas. 

The 2024-2025 school year was an incredible show of how far our students can take themselves in math competitions. Congratulations to all of our participating students on their hard work in the following math contests:

Math Kangaroo: The Math Kangaroo competition is an international math contest held annually for students in grades 1 through 12. It fosters a love for mathematics by challenging students with engaging, logic-based, and multiple-choice problems that go beyond the standard school curriculum. The test emphasizes creative thinking and problem-solving over simple memorization. Hudson Montessori is honored to be a testing site each year.

Middle School:

• Grade 8:

  • Avi Mehandru (national rank 8) 

  • Mira Strzodka (national rank 11)

• Grade 7: 

  • Michael Blum (national rank 1)

• Grade 6: 

  • Matthew Goncharov (national rank 11)

Elementary:

• Grade 5: 

  • Raunaq Sood (national rank 17)

• Grade 4: 

  • Leonard Blum (national rank 2)

  • Nina Strzodka (national rank 11)

  • Shreshta Khandekar  (national rank 17)

• Grade 2: 

  • Mahyn Shroff (national rank 9)

  • Zaiden Patel (national rank 18)

  • Aadi Virani(national rank 19)

  • Benjamin Fayngelerin (national rank 19)

MATHCOUNTS: The MATHCOUNTS Competition challenges students with problems in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, probability, and more. In Middle School, we offer a Math Competition elective for interested students. The contest has four levels—school, chapter, state, and national—and includes four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown, each lasting approximately three hours in total. The top 12 scorers at our school advance to the chapter level, with the top 4 forming the school team.

• 2024-2025: Our top four contestants, Michael Blum, Mira Strzodka, Avi Menhandru, and Afsheen Kirupakaran, represented our school in the Bergen Hudson Chapter Round of the competition in February. Out of the 30 participating schools, our school placed 8th with a commendable total team score of 53, just 1.5 points shy of qualifying for the state competition.

AMC 8: Another prestigious competition is the AMC 8, a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice test focused on middle school math. Students who score in the top 5% earn a spot on the Honor Roll, while those in the top 1% receive the Distinguished Honor Roll.

Honor Roll Recipients:

• Avi Mehandru and Michael Blum tied for first place.

• Dane Sabitov earned second place and received a certificate of achievement, given to a 6th grader who scores remarkably well. 

• The top three scores placed our school in the School Merit Roll, with a total of 65 points awarded to schools with a total score between 50 to 65 points. 

MOEMS is a math Olympiad for upper elementary and middle school students. Its goal is to teach different problem-solving strategies, encourage creative thinking, and build flexibility in approaching challenging math problems. Students take five tests, given once a month at school, from November to March.

Middle School:

• Avi Mehandru and Mira Strzodka tied for first place with an excellent, near-perfect score.

Upper Elementary:

• Winner: Nina Strzodka

The Stock Market Game: All of our Middle Schoolers competed in this fun and educational competition where students use a virtual $100,000 to buy and sell stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. It teaches how the stock market works and helps students build skills in math, research, and decision-making. Teams compete to grow their portfolios. The top performers can win prizes and recognition.

• Team Money Cubed (Jaanvi, Zoe, and Mia): School Winner

• Team Money Cubed also placed 3rd regionally with a profit of $17,000 in the current market.

  
  

Hudson Montessori School uses an interdisciplinary, theme-based learning approach to education, grounded in the Montessori philosophy and methodology, to foster a love of learning in its students. Its STEM-certified campus is the only one of its kind in New Jersey, featuring STEM-certified teachers who meet the highest standards set by the National Institute for STEM Education. The school serves children aged 2 to eighth grade and welcomes parents to attend a school tour to learn more.