Journey Middle Math Team shines at James Clemens tourney

Journey students win 20 medals and trophies at prestigious math competition

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Math Team from Journey Middle School in Madison, Alabama, won 20 medals and top places among teams at the James Clemens Math Tournament. The team's hard work, teamwork, and perseverance paid off, with the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teams all placing in the top two spots. Journey students earned numerous individual awards as well, taking home 7 of the top 10 trophies in the eighth grade, 6 of the top 10 in seventh grade, and 7 of the top 10 in sixth grade.

Why it matters

The strong performance by the Journey Middle School Math Team highlights the excellence of the school's math program and the dedication of its students and teachers. It also demonstrates the value of extracurricular academic competitions in helping students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

The details

The Journey Math Team prepared for the James Clemens tournament by collaborating and reworking practice tests from the previous year's event. Despite a shortage of materials due to the tournament being in its third year, the team's hard work paid off. In the seventh grade, nine out of the top 10 individual awards went to Journey students. To determine the team trophies, officials used the top four written-test scores and the four students' team scores, with Journey's eighth grade team taking first place, the seventh grade team taking second, and the sixth grade team taking first.

  • The James Clemens Math Tournament took place on February 18, 2026.
  • Journey's next tournament will be the MathCounts Chapter Competition on February 21, 2026 in Huntsville.

The players

Mrinal Joshi

The Math Team Teacher at Journey Middle School who coached the students to their impressive performance.

Journey Middle School

A public middle school in Madison, Alabama, whose Math Team excelled at the James Clemens Math Tournament.

James Clemens High School

The host of the prestigious math tournament that Journey Middle School's team competed in.

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What they’re saying

“Once again, Journey Jags rocked James Clemens' tournament. Journey brought home 20 medals overall, plus team trophies for first place for both sixth-grade and eighth-grade teams and second place for seventh-graders.”

— Mrinal Joshi, Math Team Teacher (The Madison Record)

“I am very proud of me and my team for getting first in a challenging math competition.”

— Kylie Zou, Seventh-grade student (The Madison Record)

“If you do your best and practice diligently, you will do well.”

— Rachel Harris, Eighth-grade student (The Madison Record)

What’s next

The Journey Middle School Math Team will compete in the MathCounts Chapter Competition on February 21, 2026 in Huntsville.

The takeaway

The success of the Journey Middle School Math Team at the prestigious James Clemens Math Tournament demonstrates the strength of the school's math program and the dedication of its students and teachers. It highlights the value of extracurricular academic competitions in helping students develop critical skills and a love for learning.