Walter Johnson HS

Walter Johnson HS Chapter
Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honor Society

Click here for the Math Department Home Page

Staff Sponsor: Staci Gallun <Staci_C_Gallun@mcpsmd.org> and Kevin Parrish <Kevin_M_Parrish@mcpsmd.org>

Meeting times: Second Wednesday of the month in the Auditorium, along with other special events as announced

Purpose

The Math Honor Society (national website) is designed to promote interest in mathematics, bring together a group of mathematically talented students, and help students who need assistance with their math studies.

Requirements

• For Members (those who will apply/be accepted and can earn credits for a graduation cord): Members need to have a 3.0 GPA in math (unweighted) and have completed Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2.
• For Associates (those who are interested, but may not meet the requirements/not ready to apply): No requirement.
• In general -- ALL ARE WELCOME.
• Information about the application process will be released in September/October.

MHS Help Room (229) -- now open every day (new help room information for 2025-2026 is TBD)

The math help room is run by the Math Honor Society and is staffed by a certified teacher and a number of highly qualified students who are enrolled in higher-level math courses. The math help room is open at lunch every day, room 229.

Math Murals

The Math Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society have collaborated on some beautiful, large-scale math murals. See the photos below, and come check them out in person on the second floor of WJ!

The Platonic Solids

This mural, featuring the five Platonic Solids, was finished in Spring 2025. John Chase, math resource teacher, directed the project, and students Ashton Hyer and Clara Frank painted the mural. For the mathematical context of this mural, check out this video.

The Archimedean Solids

This mural, featuring the 13 Archimedean Solids, was finished in Spring 2023. John Chase, math resource, directed the project, and students from the Math Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society painted the mural. For the mathematical context of this mural, check out this video.

The Stegosaurus Spectre Tiling

This mural, featuring a "stegosaurus" version of the aperiodic "Spectre" tiling, was finished in Spring 2024. John Chase, math resource, directed the project, and students painted the mural. This mural pays homage to the very recent discovery of the very first "Chiral Aperiodic Monotile" -- a single tile that covers the plane without overlaps or gaps and yet, no matter how hard you try, cannot produce a repeating pattern. Click here for the article by David Smith, Joseph Samuel Myers, Craig S. Kaplan, and Chaim Goodman-Strauss from May 2023. For the mathematical context of this mural, check out these two blog posts from John Lindner, the creator of this version of the tiling -- the second post features our mural.