Shipley's Philly Math League team completed their season with a record of 6-3 and a second-place finish in the League playoffs. 

Of the ten participating schools, Shipley earned wins over Agnes Irwin, Malvern Prep, Episcopal Academy, Baldwin, Haverford, and Penn Charter. Team members included Josh Cohen '24, Amber Feng '24, Emily Kucharczuk '24, Hailey Li '24, Richard Liu '25, Alex Qian '22, Jenny Qu '22, Bambi Tang '23, Vance Yanney '23, Kevin Zheng '23, and Sherry Zheng. The team is led by Upper School Math and Economics teacher Dr. Joachim Rebholz. 

Team coach Dr. Joachim Rebholz said, “I am currently teaching or have taught all of these students, and in my class (Precalculus Honors) I challenge them with hard and unusual problems that require critical thinking and mental flexibility (non-routine problems just like the math league problems). They find that exciting and refreshing, even though sometimes they also find it challenging. I tell them that this is ‘productive struggle’ which will lift their thinking to a higher level. This is a highly motivated group of students who embraces challenge and cooperation.”

Six members of the team, Bambi Tang, Alex Qian, Kevin Zheng, Richard Liu, Jenny Qu, and Hailey Li competed in the League playoffs on December 9 at Episcopal Academy. With a quarterfinal win over Penn Charter and a semifinal win over Haverford, the team advanced to the finals. In a tough match, the team fell to The George School. Tang also placed second in an individual event. 

"Our team has players of different styles to complement each other—some are insightful, some decisive, some cautious, some cooperative… Our individual abilities might not have been top of the league, but we could eventually win second. That is what we call a ‘TEAM,’ said team member Bambi Tang ’23.

Congratulations, Gators!