About

Village School's Girls Excelling in Math Tournament was started in 2012 to give girls across Central Virginia an opportunity to engage in challenging math in a safe, welcoming, all-girl environment. It has grown from 55 participants to over 200 in the years since its inception, a testament to the need in our community for encouraging outlets for girls who love math.

Women make up only 28% of the workforce in STEM fields. [source] Representation is important to bring different perspectives and ideas and to generate better results. Studies have found that middle school girls shift their social identities and willingness to participate in STEM fields. "This is evidenced in high school as girls enroll in fewer science and mathematics courses, and in college as fewer women go on to major in STEM disciplines: for instance, although over 57% of bachelors degrees were awarded to women in 2018, they only earned 39% of STEM degrees." [source] The GEM Tournament is one way schools can provide girls a safe, supportive outlet to engage with challenging math and learn from women role models in STEM. Research shows that all-girl environments for learning math have a significant positive effect on girls' achievement in math, their confidence, and their mental toughness. [source]

The day's activities center on solving challenging mathematics problems both in teams and individually. A hands-on engineering challenge is also included. Many raffle prizes are given away and top-scoring schools and individuals are recognized. Check out our promo video below (coming soon) to promote the GEM Tournament at your school!

Past participants have found the tournament engaging and fun. We hope you'll mark your calendar! Click here to sign up.