The 2025 Clemson Calculus Challenge
The twenty first annual Clemson Calculus Challenge (CCC ) was held on Friday, April 11, 2025. For the fourth year, we held a hybrid event with in-person participants as well as students taking the exam remotely. The School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences welcomed 193 students (including 39 remote) from 23 schools representing Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The students competed in individual, team, and school categories.
The twenty-three high schools were split into three divisions based on school enrollment. Division I schools had the smaller enrollments, while Division II contained the schools with the larger student populations. A third division was created for all of the remote participants, who competed only in the individual competition. The high schools that competed in the 2025 CCC are listed in the following table.
Participating Schools for 2025
| High School |
City |
State |
Division |
| Alpharetta High School |
Alpharetta |
GA |
Division III |
| Anderson High School |
Anderson |
IN |
Division II |
| Baltimore Polytechnic Institute |
Baltimore |
MD |
Division II |
| Ben Lippen School |
Columbia |
SC |
Division I |
| Charlotte Christian School |
Charlotte |
NC |
Divisions I & III |
| D.W. Daniel High School |
Central |
SC |
Division II |
| Dixie High School |
Due West |
SC |
Division I |
| Eastside High School |
Taylors |
SC |
Division II |
| Fulton Science Academy |
Alpharetta |
GA |
Division III |
| Gatlinburg-Pittman High School |
Gatlinburg |
TN |
Division I |
| Hammond School |
Columbia |
SC |
Divisions I |
| Irmo High School |
Columbia |
SC |
Division III |
| Knoxville Catholic High School |
Knoxville |
TN |
Division I |
| Lucy Beckham High School |
Mount Pleasant |
SC |
Division III |
| Marvin Ridge High School |
Waxhaw |
NC |
Division II |
| May River High School |
Bluffton |
SC |
Division II |
| Riverside High School |
Greer |
SC |
Division II |
| Scholars Academy High School |
Conway |
SC |
Division I |
| Seneca High School |
Seneca |
SC |
Division II |
| Sevier County High School |
Sevierville |
TN |
Division III |
| Southside Christian School |
Simpsonville |
SC |
Division I |
| Spring Valley High School |
Columbia |
SC |
Division II |
| Vestavia Hills High School |
Vestavia Hills |
AL |
Division II |
Awards
Trophies were awarded for first, second, and third place finishes in Divisions I and II in three categories: individual test, team competition, and overall school performance. The first and second place scorer on the morning exam in Divisions I and II were each given $500 scholarships to Clemson University. A trophy was also awarded to the top finisher among the remote participants (Division III).
Individual Awards
Division I
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Seomgeun Shim |
Hammond School |
22.00 |
| Second |
Alexander Nikolov |
Scholars Academy High School |
12.50 |
| Third |
John Vehige |
Scholars Academy High School |
12.50 |
* The tie for second place was broken by the fewest incorrect responses.
Division II
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Timothy Li |
Vestavia Hills High School |
29.25 |
| Second |
Tina Gao |
Vestavia Hills High School |
21.25 |
| Third |
Liao Liao Shi |
Eastside High School |
19.25 |
Division III
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Christopher Gao |
Fulton Science Academy |
21.50 |
Team Awards
Division I
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Purple Team |
Hammond School |
48 |
| Second |
White Team |
Hammond School |
27 |
| Third |
White Team |
Scholars Academy |
18 |
Division II
| Place |
Winner |
School |
Score |
| First |
Orange Team |
Vestavia Hills High School |
38 |
| Second |
Orange Team |
Eastside High School |
29 |
| Third |
Purple Team |
Vestavia Hills High School |
21 |
School Awards
Division I
| Place |
School |
Score |
| First |
Hammond School |
41.92 |
| Second |
Scholars Academy |
30.42 |
| Third |
Dixie High School |
15.83 |
Division II
| Place |
School |
Score |
| First |
Vestavia Hills High School |
47.50 |
| Second |
Eastside High School |
40.17 |
| Third |
Marvin Ridge High School |
20.33 |
*There was a tie for 3rd place, broken by the highest team score and individual score.
Research Presentation
After the competition, a presentation was delivered by Dr. Neil Clakin, a professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Clemson University, and Eliza Gallagher, an associate professor in the Department of Engineering & Science Education.
Bonus Puzzle Challenge
As a bonus endeavor, participants were given a 'Ice Cream' challenge created by Dr. Shih-wei Chao, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mathematical and Statstical Sciences, to work on over the lunch break. One team from each division was selected at random from all correct responses to receive School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences swag.
