Boys in grades six through eight are invited to participate in the Second Annual DLS Math Competition, with the four top eighth-graders qualifying for tuition scholarships. Interested students should register by October 28. 

The scholarships, which are renewable each year as long as the student maintains an A in his Math classes, are for $5,000 (First Place), $3,000 (Second Place), $1,500 (Third Place), and $500 (Fourth Place). 

Mr. Roger Ziemba, De La Salle Collegiate Class of 1972, sponsors the competition, providing $10,000 for the scholarships. Ziemba also sponsors the Pilot Hangar gift cards awarded to the top sixth and seventh-grade students, along with competition T-shirts for every participant. 

"The math competition is a wonderful thing,” Ziemba said. “It is time we shed a spotlight on math. I am impressed with what Joe Novak and the Math Department are doing at DLS.” Read more below.

Ziemba also sponsors a $5,000 scholarship, renewable each year, for the student who has the highest eighth-grade placement test score on the math portion. 

He added, “I told my three sons that better math skills will lead to better life skills.”

DLS Advancement Director Mr. Greg Esler said, “I can’t thank Roger enough for his generosity and the terrific impact he has made on our students. His ultra-generous gift has already made an impact on our students, and helped us bring even more of the brightest and best math students into the school’s math program.”

Ziemba himself received a half-scholarship to De La Salle because of his placement test score as an eighth-grader. 

“This made me feel proud as a student,” Ziemba said. “We give away five scholarships for this competition - this is something that those students earn and can feel pride in. It is a good thing that we can show off their accomplishments. It's a real-life lesson."  

The competition consists of a 45-minute test for each grade level. 

While students are testing, from 6:15 - 7 p.m., their parents are invited to gather in the Cafeteria for light refreshments and meet with a DLS Admissions representative. Tours of the school are also available. 

Nearly 100 students participated in the 2023 competition. 

Contact Mr. Joe Novak, De La Salle Collegiate Class of 2003, with any questions. 
jnovak@delasallehs.com

Eighth Grade Algebra Class Now in Its Third Year

Each morning, DLS Math Teacher Mr. Joe Novak is teaching a 7 a.m. Algebra I class to eighth-graders from three area Catholic grade schools: Immaculate Conception (Warren), St. Anne (Warren), and St. Isaac Jogues (St. Clair Shores). 

The class has grown from nine students during the 2023-2024 school year to the current 20. 

The students’ parents provide the transportation to DLS for the class, and a DLS bus delivers the students to their respective schools immediately afterwards. 

Novak said that the initial students, who are now DLS sophomores, took Geometry as freshmen and are now taking Novak’s Advanced Algebra 2 and Trigonometry/Advanced Pre-Calculus course.

“They’ll be ready to take Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB as juniors,” Novak said. “And then they will be in AP Calculus BC as seniors. Some will also enroll in AP Statistics.” 

PHOTO  Freshmen Malachi Nieman and Joe Lotito are “graduates” of the 2023 - 2024 8th Grade Algebra Class. Malachi earned a $20,000 scholarship ($5,000 off tuition per year) for his high Math score on the Eighth Grade Placement Test. Joey earned a $12,000 scholarship ($3,000 off tuition per year) for placing in the 2023 Math Competition.