Ben Gottschalk, a recent graduate of Beal City High School, earned 2nd place honors in the 2026 TrigStar math competition in the state of Michigan this past spring. The TrigStar Program is an annual high school mathematics competition sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors and the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors based on the practical applications of
trigonometry. The program recognizes the best students from high schools throughout the
nation.
The purposes of the TrigStar program are to promote the study of trigonometry in high school, promote excellence by honoring the individual students who have demonstrated superior skill among classmates at the high school level, to acquaint high school trigonometry students with the use and practical application of trigonometry in the surveying profession, and to build an awareness of surveying as a profession among mathematically-skilled high school students.
The competition is a timed exercise that involves the solving of trigonometry problems, including a real-life problem mirroring typical situations that professional surveyors encounter every day. The highest score in the least amount of time is considered the winner. Ben’s score of 84% was the 2 nd highest score in the state.
Ben earned a $500 award for his achievement. This is Beal City’s eighth scholarship win in the program. Ben is attending the University of Michigan this fall to study Nuclear Engineering. Jen Butkovich and her students would like to extend a special thank you to the National/Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors for this opportunity and to Jan Fokens for sponsoring the program and sharing his time with our Precalculus classes.