We all have some concept of them – huddled over papers, calculators and pens, with glasses or with shaggy hair, negligently dressed. Matheletes.

Such stereotypes may be true for some of the students, but not for all; continuing a pattern of academic excellence in the classroom, Bellevue School District students have reigned over Washington State’s math scene for the last few years.

Sammamish High School may not have a prominent Math Club, but the other three BSD high schools – Newport, Interlake and Bellevue high schools all have prominent math clubs which have maintained a pattern of high performance over the past few years.

At state-wide competitions – “Math is Cool Masters” and “Mu Alpha Theta State,” – these three schools have consistently competed for the top spot.

Last year, Interlake’s math teams never placed lower than second place, and, in addition, Interlake often had more than one team place in the same division. At this year’s regional Math is Cool competition, in which high schools throughout the Eastside competed, Newport and Interlake placed first and second, respectively.

Math competitions are, in a way, school taken to a competitive extreme. At competitions ranging from local, school-based competitions, to state competitions like Math is Cool, and even national competitions, students test their mettle against similarly minded peers.

Individuals and teams of four, organized by either grade level or what level of math they take in school, take identical tests with difficult problems. Awards are allotted to the top scorers on the team and individual levels in different divisions. Math may be an individual “sport,, but these schools seem to consistently put out quality, competitive teams.

Many of these students come from Odle Middle School, which feature several individuals who consistently place high, including a team of four which placed third at last year’s national Mathcounts competition. When these students move on to separate high schools, they continue their success, albeit with heavy competition between the schools.

One barometer of a Math Club’s success is the number of students who participate in the American Invitational Math Examination (AIME) – a test that only the top 1 percent on a preliminary test qualify for each year. Another is the number who are included on the state’s American Regional Mathematics League (ARML) team, which takes the top 30 students willing to go each year to a competition in Las Vegas.

Combined, Interlake, Newport, and Bellevue accounted for half of the 30 ARML spots this past year, and the schools had dozens of students take the AIME between them. Collectively, these students take math seriously, and their interest and success goes beyond the state level.

“We do consistently well partially because of the PRISM program, which attracts gifted students to the school and district in the first place,” said Puneet Dewan, a senior and President of Interlake’s Math club.

“We also have an established club, and its easier to get people to join a large club like ours, Bellevue’s, or Newport’s than it is to start one,” said Puneet.

Puneet attributes interest in Math Club to students wanting to challenge themselves.

“To me personally, it’s a way to learn math outside of the school’s curriculum. I also like the competitive aspect of the club, which motivates me to improve.”

Of the math community among students, Puneet reflected, “we are like like-minded, so we all get along. What most people find is that the people who do Math Club are pretty much normal people with normal interests who just happen to have a passion for math.”

Austin Davis, a senior at Newport and the President of its Math Club, said he was “inspired [by watching] our club triple in size and become more involved in local, statewide, and national math programs” and by Newport’s success while he has been at the school.

The math teams of Bellevue, Interlake, and Newport will look to continue their success at the statewide Math is Cool Masters competition, held in Moses Lake on December 11.

Derek Tsang is an intern at the Bellevue Reporter. He attends Interlake High School.