09-04-2025
Houston-area high school students could possibly win $100k after advancing to the finals in math competition
The Brief
The students who are from St. John High School were at the prom when they heard the big news.
The competition has to do with how they would handle things in the power grid.
If the students win, they would split $100,000 in scholarship money.
HOUSTON - The five St. John High School math team members were at the prom when they got the good news.
They were one of nine finalist teams in Mathworks Math Modeling Challenge.
What they're saying
"I was really surprised," said team Member Helen Yang. "I immediately tried to find the other teammates to let them know."
The competition is tough.
"The whole point of it was to apply the skills we have learned in the classroom onto an actual problem of real world significance," said team member David Qian.
"Their prompt this year had to do with the power grid, and how increased swings in temperatures like heat waves and things, our extra strain on the grid, what happens when it fails, whose most likely to be in danger," said teacher and team coach Dwight Raulston.
The backstory
The students had 14 hours to come up with the best solutions to the escalating crisis of extreme heat and power grid failures.
There's still a final round to win, so the team can't give away their answers.
What's next
The next step is April 28 when the finalist teams present their findings to a panel of professional mathematicians.
The winning team splits $100,000 in scholarships.
The Source
FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace spoke with the math students.
