May 30th & 31st, 2014
Lakehead University
Orillia Campus
OMO2014@oame.on.ca
Hosted by
a chapter of 
OAME
History of the OMO |
The MathOlympics for Grade 7 and 8 students had its beginning at Barrie North
right here in Simcoe County. It started in 1978 and became an annual event that
was held on the last Thursday in April until 1999. Teams from 8 to 10 area elementary
schools in both the SCDSB and the SMCDSB were involved. The idea came
from the Montreal summer Olympics in 1976 so all of the contests were named
after Olympic events. The events were: 100m, hurdles, 1500m, synchronized
thinking (swimming), design challenge, relay and Krypto. The top school team
received a plaque (engraved with the school name and year) to keep and had the
school name and year added to the school trophy which stayed at the winning
school for at least a year. The top three students, based on individual points,
earned gold, silver or bronze matholympics medals. The Barrie North Matholympics
organizers, our very own OMO2010 co-chair Bill Morrison, and fellow MAC2 member Paul Pogue, shared their
local experience with the province at provincial OAME conferences, and it soon
caught on around the province.
The first provincial Math Olympics were held in Ottawa, hosted by COMA in 1995, under the direction of co-chairs Jeri Lunney and Rob McLeish, followed by MAC2 hosting in Barrie the next year in 1996, co-chairs Bill Morrison, Jack LeSage and Paul Pogue.
OMO is a fun, challenging mathematics competition for students in Grades 7 and 8. It is usually held around the first week of June. The students are required to solve problems based on the Ontario mathematics curriculum. The events may be designed to be completed as a team, in pairs, or individually. The emphasis should be on collaboration versus individual performance. Students must demonstrate their understanding of the mathematical concepts and their ability to solve problems and to communicate their knowledge in various situations.
Each year, the event is hosted by a chapter of OAME. The host community arranges various social activities, which give the students a taste of the local culture and traditions. It is an educational experience that students remember for many years.
The organizing committee is looking forward to hosting this year's events. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the co-chairs at OMO2014@oame.on.ca