Lawrence Zhang, then an eighth-grader at Liberty Middle School, accepts the Mayor’s Award of Academic Excellence in Mathematics from Mayor Troy Trulock. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – Lawrence Zhang, as an eighth-grader at Liberty Middle School, earned the Mayor’s Award of Academic Excellence in Mathematics.

“Lawrence was a top student at Liberty and was shining all year. He was chosen as one of four students in Alabama to be a part of the team to represent Alabama at the National Math Counts Competition in Washington D.C.,” Liberty teacher Ambra Johnson said.

Winning the Mayor’s Award for Academic Excellence spotlighted Zhang for demonstrating overall academic excellence with outstanding accomplishments in one academic discipline — math. “Eighth-grade teachers thoughtfully nominated students who demonstrated exemplary academic skills and accomplishments throughout the year,” Trulock said in a speech recognizing Zhang.

“This bright young man has been a vital part of Liberty’s Algebra Competition team,” Trulock said. Zhang led the Liberty Cipher Team to win first place in the Rocket City Math Tournament. His input helped Liberty to place second at math tournaments held at Vestavia Hills and Hoover.

“This insightful scholar was also a part of a four-member team that won first place in Math Counts Huntsville Regional Competition,” Trulock said. “Out of 100 of the brightest kids in the state, he came out on top.”

Zhang was a first-place winner in individual competition at the State Math Counts Competition in Mobile and helped the Liberty team reach third place.

Earlier this year, Zhang appeared on ESPN3 in the nationally televised Math Counts Competition.

“This young man is considered by his peers to be an accurate source of mathematical information and he is often called upon to explain difficult concepts,” Trulock said. “Moreover, this student is a kind, humble and respectful young man that honors Liberty, his family and his world.”