Port Jefferson Middle School students had an educationally enriching experience when they participated for the first time in the New York Mathematics League.

Sixth-graders Emily Ambrozy, Eric Chen, Viviane Kim, Nicholas Smirnov and Carman Stanton worked as a team and ranked 20 out of 71 schools in the state on the academically oriented competition, which consisted of a variety of math topics, including algebra, geometry and problem-solving.

According to math teacher Megan Ryan, the students were excited to participate and be recognized for their mathematical achievements.

“They enjoyed the challenge and are encouraged to continue to develop their exploration of mathematical ideas,” Ryan said. “It was a positive experience for them to decipher some of the difficult math solutions.”