By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

The team from St. Leo the Great School, Lincroft, ranked first among Catholic school competitors in the fortieth annual Brother Christian Jones Eighth Grade Mathematics Contest held Oct. 15 in Christian Brothers Academy. Named for the long-time head of the CBA Mathematics Department at the Lincroft secondary school, the contest attracted teams from 15 public and 17 private and parochial schools from around the state. 

Eight students per school were tasked to solve 20 multiple-choice pre-Algebraic problems, and the top five scores were combined to set the team score. St. Leo students ranked third among all competitors, bested only by the teams from Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft and the Ranney School of Tinton Falls. Their third overall ranking topped the list of Catholic school competitors; rounding out the top ten were teams from St. Ambrose, Old Bridge; St. Joseph, Toms River; St. Benedict, Holmdel; St. Veronica, Howell; Holy Cross, Rumson; St. Denis, Manasquan; and St. Dominic, Brick.

Individual students were feted at the contest as well. St. Joseph eighth graders William Simon and Hope Dormer ranked fourth and ninth respectively. Erin McLean of St. Ambrose achieved the eighth slot, while Thomas Dugan (seventh) and Greg Wall (tenth) took home additional trophies for St. Leo the Great. Other diocesan schools competing in the contest were St. Catharine, Spring Lake; St. Jerome, West Long Branch; St. Rose, Belmar; Holy Innocents, Neptune; Mother Teresa Regional, Atlantic Highlands; St. Aloysius, Jackson; and St. Mary, New Monmouth.

CBA parent Ray Jakubek and Mathematics Department head Patrick Melosh coordinated the contest; both were students of the late Brother Jones.