He does sports too

Twelve-year-old Nathan Strauss practices mathematics the way some youngsters practice sports. 

Last school year, he got extra math problems from his teachers at Forsyth School. He also participated in four different categories in Swarthmore University's Math Forum Problem of the Week competition. This is an international program on the internet.

He also got "coaching" after school from a math tutor. 

The work paid off. 

This spring, he won first place in both math concepts and math problem solving for sixth graders in the statewide Missouri Student Mathematics Contest. 

He also places first in the Swarthmore competition in the geometry category against 4,000 kids worldwide. He was second in algebra, third in middle school and fourth in elementary school categories in the same international competition. 

Nathan finished sixth grade this spring at Forsyth School. He will attend John Burroughs School in the fall. 

He said, "I started with math as soon as I could. That was when I was about three." 

An early activity involved solving math problems given to him by his mother while they rode in the car. 

He's been increasing his mathematics ability ever since. One exercise involved taking part in a national computerized accelerated math course. That included solving 12 problems in each of 342 different math objectives categories.

Nathan said, "The course starts with adding fractions and the 342nd objective is dividing polynomials." 

But, math isn't his only interest. 

He's also taken piano lessons for seven years. His mother, Karen McCray, said, "There is a connection between math and music." She said music's structure is based on math and involves creativity. High-level math involves creativity as well as numbers, she added. 

Another creative activity for Nathan is writing. He was a 10th place winner in national "publish-a-book" competition with his 1,000-word fairy tale. 

He also participated in basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer at school. He was a member of Forsyth's Ultimate Frisbee team that competed against county schools. He has participated in climbing and rappelling camps. 

To top it off, he has a home garden with tomatoes, carrots, watermelons, cucumbers and zucchini.

Asked how he solves math problems, Nathan said, "I usually can visualize the answers. Then, I go back and work out the steps to the answer. But, if the problem is more complicated, I go step by step to get the answer." 

Looking to the future, he plans to continue his education in math and possibly medicine. 

Nathan's father, Michael Strauss, is a commercial photographer who does work for Busch Creative Services. His mother, Karen, recently retired after 30 years as a teacher.