The Beaver Computing Challenge is a problem-solving contest run by the University of Waterloo, with a focus on computational and logical thinking. Questions are inspired by topics in computer science, and link to concepts found in the mathematics curriculum. It exposes students to a new subject and way of thinking.
Here’s an example of the type of question the contestants may encounter, courtesy of the Beaver Computing Challenge’s sample problems:
Frog Jump
A frog gets exercise by jumping around a pond. It jumps from lily pad to lily pad in the sequence shown in the picture below. It starts at the lily pad labelled S. It ends on the lily pad as shown (i.e., the frog shown has finished jumping). Each black dot marks a lily pad on which the frog has landed.
The legend below labels each of the 8 possible directions of a jump with an integer from 0 to 7. Which sequence describes the frog’s path?
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The students then have to select their answer from four different sequences.
This past November, more than 4,900 students in Grades 5 and 6 from across Canada took part in the contest. St. Clement’s School was one of only a few girls’ schools to participate. Our Grades 5 and 6 girls responded enthusiastically, and also garnered excellent results. Maya A., Katie T., Kitty M. (all ’26), and Alexandra M. ’27 received awards of distinction, ranking in the top 25% of contestants. Another one of our students, Audrey H. ’27, not only placed in the top 25%, she achieved a perfect score on the contest.
Congratulations girls!
