In its first-ever participation in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, Newton South HS’s team (Bhavik Nagda, James Rao, Ayush Upneja, Erik Uhlmann, and Yifan Xu) achieved the semi-finals, ranking between 7th and 12th place overall among 1,084 entries nationwide.  In this challenge, each team did research, analysis, mathematical modeling, and writing over a single 14-hour period to produce a 20-page research paper for grading by a panel of judges.  The task this year was to create a mathematical model to help determine the best business model for a car-sharing service in a given region/city/town.  The NSHS team’s work won $1500 in scholarship funds.   The team’s faculty coach, Steven Rattendi, noted that the students took the initiative in starting and leading this endeavor.  Congratulations to all!