Have you heard about the SBIMC? The South Brooklyn Individual Math Competition (SBIMC) is an annual event that takes place at FDR High School. It was designed specifically for students who may not yet be ready to compete as part of the prestigious NYC Math Team, offering them a platform to showcase their skills and passion for mathematics. The SBIMC isn’t exclusive to schools in South Brooklyn. It is open to students from high schools all across the five boroughs. The competition attracts students who are eager to test their mathematical abilities in a competitive environment, with challenges designed to test both problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
SBIMC was created by Fred Galli and Larry Zimmerman, who shared a passion for mathematics and education. Fred Galli was a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School and was deeply involved in the math team during his time in high school, his coach was Larry Zimmerman. Their partnership grew as Galli continued to pursue his love for math and eventually became a math teacher at FDR High School and took on the role of the Math Team coach for the FDR Math team. In 2010, Galli and Zimmerman worked together to create the Southern Brooklyn Invitational Math Competition, an event designed to challenge and inspire young math enthusiasts. The first competition was small, with just four local schools participating. Galli had funded the entire event out of his own pocket, driven by his dedication to allowing students to showcase their mathematical abilities.
Over the years, the competition grew steadily, attracting more teams from all five boroughs. It started as a small, self-funded event, but now it’s a large-scale competition, with over 30 teams from various schools participating. The growth of SBIMC was made possible by continued community support and the contributions of sponsors, including Pearson, a global leader in educational materials. Pearson’s funding helped maintain the growing competition, ensuring that the event could accommodate the increasing number of participants and continue to serve as an inspiring platform for students passionate about mathematics. SBIMC has become an annual tradition, held at FDR High School every year in recognition of Fred Galli’s deep connection to the school and his legacy as a dedicated math teacher and coach. As the competition continues to grow, it stands as a testament to Galli and Zimmerman’s vision and commitment to fostering a love for math in the next generation of students. Their work has left a lasting impact on the local educational community, and the competition now plays a pivotal role in nurturing young mathematicians, creating lifelong connections, and inspiring future leaders in the field of mathematics.
The competition consists of 4 different rounds; the team round, the power round, the individual round, and the relay round.
Team Round: In the team round, each team from each school, works together to answer the questions that are given to them. They are in separate rooms all working on the same questions, trying their best to obtain the right answers.
Power Round: In the power round, the teams follow the same procedure, however, the questions that are given will be more difficult than in the previous round.
Individual Round: In the individual round, all the students are given the same questions and they have to work on them individually. Whoever has the highest score in this round will be awarded.
Relay Round: In the relay round, each team, which must have six students, is split up into two groups of three. Those smaller groups then participate in a relay, where the first student has to figure out the answer to a question and pass it on to the next person, so that they can incorporate it into their solution.
This year’s competition was held on Saturday, March 15th, and it was a great success! A total of 17 schools participated, showcasing a diverse group of talented students from across the city. The winners of this year’s competition were Staten Island Tech A and James Madison A both finishing with an impressive total score of 70. In addition to the team competition, the individual round was fiercely competitive, with FDR’s own Bintao Chi emerging as the winner! His hard work and dedication truly paid off, and we are extremely proud of him and his remarkable accomplishments!