Dove Science Academy High School Math League Team Ranks #1 In The World

Through the bustling hallways, students are making their way to their next class at Dove Science Academy High School.

In Mrs. Miftah’s classroom, math is the main focus.

“My mom always told me I was, you know, gifted at math…not the other subjects," said Mason Shoemaker. 

“In the beginning, I wasn’t that good at math, but with all that practice, I’ve grown,” Leslie Ramirez said. 

Mason and Leslie are seniors on the school’s math league team - a team that is well-known in Oklahoma.

“They were Oklahoma state champions for the last two years, and hopefully, they’ll be state champions for the three-peat this year,” said John Franklin with Dove Science Academy. 

But they've now proven themselves on the international stage.

The International Math Challenge ranks the team #1 in the world, beating out more than 9,600 teams from 88 countries.

Franklin says the students take a series of tests in a 6-month period, and so far, 9 out of 15 members have had perfect scores on each one.

"It’s all a process of who drops their perfect score before the end of the season,” he said. 

“We’re a small school, so to go up against bigger schools and to still come out on top and come out victorious, it just makes you feel so good inside,” said Alfonso Rodriguez.

Sophomores Cara, Favor and Alfonso say seniors like Leslie and Mason inspire them.

“They’re getting perfect scores, where we might not get perfect scores, but we want to achieve to be there one day,” Cara said. 

“We will get them eventually,” added Favor.

With one last test on the horizon, these students are working harder than ever, fostering a commitment to success with every math problem they solve.

That final test will determine standings on both the local and global scale.

Because of their achievements, some students, like Leslie and Mason, have also been invited to an international math competition this summer in New York.