Calculating mathematical formulas is a cinch to the Canutillo High School Math Team, and it all added up to a state crown for the Eagles. The math whizzes competed last weekend at the UIL Academic State Meet at the University of Texas at Austin and took home first place as a team in the Calculator Applications event.
CHS mathematics teacher and team coach Rudy Medina says that this is the first UIL academic state championship to come out of Canutillo and also the first El Paso school to have a UIL State Championship team in a math-related event in recent history.
“It means so much to them and they take great pride in representing our school and the Canutillo community,” Medina said. “It’s something they worked so hard for and to come away with results that no one else in the city has been able to do by winning it all is a huge accomplishment. I’m very blessed to have coached them.”
All four Canutillo team members finished in the top 10 of 24 competitors. Leading the team and also earning individual medals at the state meet were Gabriel Carrillo, 2nd place, Ricardo Corona, 4th place, and Brian Lara, 6th place. Carlos Tovar finished in 8th place.
All year, this team has held first place and swept competitions in the region and state. In April, they won first place at the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) state competition for the second straight year in 5A calculator applications. They also won the UIL Academic Regional Meet at Texas Tech this spring. In January, the team took first in the city at the Franklin Math Meet. And, in November, they placed first in calculator applications among all schools class 1A to class 6A at the Texas Tech Fall Fandango competition.
“Winning a state championship is a major achievement for any academic team given the talent and competition in the state of Texas,” CISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Pedro Galaviz said. “This is yet another example of how Canutillo continues to rise above and be recognized among the best in the state.”