“Where in the world is Cameron San Francisco?”
That was the question on students’ minds during this year’s MaPP (Mathematical Puzzle Programs) Challenge, hosted by Bishop State’s Math Department in collaboration with the Math Department at the University of South Alabama.
Held inside the Lecture Hall of the Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technology, the space was packed with excitement, strategy, puzzles, and plenty of smiles as 89 students accepted their mission.
Participants from Leflore High School, Baker High School, Gulfport High School, and Bayshore Christian School became “new recruits” of M.A.P.P. — the Mysterious Agency of Persistent Puzzlers. Their objective: stop E.V.I.L. — the Enigmatically Vile International League — from carrying out its latest extravagant heist.
Working in teams, students raced against the clock — not against each other — solving complex mathematical puzzles and unlocking clues to track down the elusive Cameron San Francisco and bring E.V.I.L. to justice. There was no single winner; the true challenge was beating the game itself by completing the final puzzle.
The mission of MaPP is simple but powerful: get students moving, collaborating, and engaged while using mathematics to think critically and solve real problems — all while having fun.
By the end of the day, one thing was clear: math isn’t just numbers on a page — it’s an adventure!