Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, the 2010 winner of Intel's Schools of Distinction Star Innovator award, is a Chicago magnet school with a focus on mathematics, science, and world languages. As described in the eBook Intel's Schools of Distinction: Learning from the Star Innovators, Walter Payton sees its job as broader than educating the students who test into the school.

For the faculty of this publicly-funded magnet school, inspiring students throughout Chicago to engage in mathematic and scientific thinking is an important part of their mission. Which is why the Payton math department recently launched the first Payton Citywide Math Circle, "a meeting of middle and high school students who enjoy mathematics and want the added challenge of learning exciting topics outside of the standard curriculum … in an informal, non-competitive environment." Topics include: "induction, invariance, infinities, complex geometry, geometric inequalities, mass points, Stomp!, Chomp!, and divisibility."

The math circles meet on Saturday afternoons and are offered at four levels, from the "Archimedes" group for younger middle school students with no formal algebra through "Descartes," serving high school students who have taken advanced algebra. Participation is free to students from throughout Chicago and any student is welcome as long as they commit to regular attendance. In order to broaden the program's reach, however, registration is limited to four students per school.

To learn more visit the Payton Match Circle web page or follow the program over its 9-week course and see photos on Facebook.