Grade 3 student Jora Singh Nahal came first place in a regional advanced mathematics competition in Kelowna last weekend.

(KAREN EDWARDS / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - From geometry to algebra, a Kamloops third-grader is showing off his talent for the region to see.

Jora Singh Nahal, a student at Dufferin Elementary School in Kamloops, took home the first place title over nearly 750 kids, and a certificate of distinction at the Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest in Kelowna. The competition is held annually across 45 cities in Canada for students in Grade 1 to Grade 12 to further their interest in advanced mathematics.

The contest was held in March, but Nahal was presented with his award this past weekend.

“There’s problem-solving, geometry, equations, algebra, pretty much everything but at an advanced level,” says Nahal’s mother, Navneet.

Every day for about three months, Nahal practiced after school with the help of his mom and older brother, Jodh, who has also been recognized on a national level for his outstanding math scores.

“They love problem-solving, and doing those type of things,” Navneet says, adding that supporting her kids in these math competitions is a great message for kids all over Kamloops. “It not only motivates them but it also motivates other kids as well."

Nahal says math is his favourite subject in school and he likes to help other kids who struggle or have questions in his class.

This isn't the first time Nahal has received an award for his advanced math knowledge on a provincial level. In a separate competition, he ranked 18 out of 6,647 Grade 3 students across Canada for another advanced math competition and ranked number one for the province.

“I’m a provincial champion and a regional champion,” he says.

The eight-year-old says he loves math but a big reason for that is because of his older brother, a Grade 8 student at Sahali Secondary School who has been participating in math competitions for years.

“I like doing the same things my brother does,” he says. “I like copying him.”

The boys’ mother says for regular school tests and quizzes, she can’t get them to study for even a minute, but for regional and provincial competitions, both boys take it seriously.

“Because it’s much more difficult than what they are learning in schools, they need to practice and they enjoy it too,” she says. “I remember last year after a math competition, as soon as (Jora) was done writing it he says, ‘Mom, can I write another one?’”

Nahal says he wants to keep working hard to get better and faster at problem-solving in math. He says he's not afraid to ask for help when he doesn't understand something and hopefully one day he can be an engineer like his dad.

For now, Nahal says he likes to spend his days off from school playing soccer and watching movies with his family.

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