Mission of math summer program for gifted middle school students

The principle pursued by Plato's Academy (Raphael's fresco)
that truth is best sought in the purity of abstraction
is taken seriously by the MathPath summer program.

Implementation

The summer program is open to students from all countries. The student age is 11-14 years. The mission's purpose is achieved by showing students that math is even more exciting than they thought, that they can do it at an even more advanced level, and that they have many peers to do it with. We do all this by emphasizing 1) Enrichment over acceleration, 2) discovery over rote learning, 3) proof (rigorous mathematical thinking and communicating), 4) active participation, 5) the lifestyle of a mathematician, and 6) fun, both in and out of class.

Specific goals are the following.

CONCENTRATE on fundamental mathematical ideas
EMPHASIZE mathematical proof
FOSTER mathematical discovery at an early age
PROVIDE a broad view of mathematics through its historical development
TEACH mathematical communication, both written and oral
PREPARE students for mathematics competitions, if they wish