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A Novel Format for Math Circles: Circles with no Center
Frederick A. Peck, Ian P. Renga, Nick Grener, David R. Erickson, Matt B. Roscoe, and Ke Wu

This paper shares a novel format for Math Circles, which we call “circles with no center.” Circles with no center do not have a traditional facilitator. The problem or activity is novel to everyone in the room. All members engage in mathematical inquiry, and everyone takes responsibility for running the gathering. The “no center” format has benefits for participants and organizers. For participants, the format offers more freedom and more responsibility. For organizers, the format is easier to organize, more fun, and involves less pressure. Our assessment of a 3-day retreat for teachers suggests participants may prefer a circle with no center to a traditionally facilitated gathering. In the paper, we introduce the “no center” format, describe the format in detail, discuss the benefits of the format, and provide tips for organizers for implementing a circle with no center.

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Parallel Circles: A Math Club as a University Math Circle
Sarah C. Cobb and Marcos Lopez

This paper will discuss a monthly social event for the University Math Club. Over the past several years, the event has been shaped by the philosophy of a Student Math Circle. We will discuss the event's organization and the ways it has benefited from the influence of the Math Circle community.

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The Impact of After-School Math Club on Elementary Student Math Anxiety
Caroline Virden, Lee Dean, and Liza Bondurant

Many students experience math anxiety, which can harm mathematics achievement. Taking part in fun, hands-on, inquiry-based math activities has been shown to decrease student anxiety. For four semesters, we ran an after-school mathematics club at Presbyterian Day School in Cleveland, MS for students in grades 3-5. The activities and materials were supplied by Crazy 8s Math Club (a Bedtime Math company). In this manuscript, we share three specific activities that encouraged both student engagement and problem-solving skills. Then we discuss survey results from the Crazy 8s Math Club as they relate to lower student math anxiety.

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From Mirrors to Wallpapers: A Virtual Math Circle Module on Symmetry
Nicole A. Sullivant, Christina L. Duron, and Douglas T. Pfeffer

Symmetry is a natural property that children see in their everyday lives; it also has deep mathematical connections to areas like tiling and objects like wallpaper groups. The Tucson Math Circle (TMC) presents a 7-part module on symmetry that starts with reflective symmetry and culminates in the deconstruction of wallpapers into their ‘generating tiles’. This module utilizes a scaffolded, hands-on approach to cover old and new mathematical topics with various interactive activities; all activities are made available through free web-based platforms. In this paper, we provide lesson plans for the various activities used, and discuss their online implementation with Zoom, Miro, and the TMC Widget. We touch on the benefits and disadvantages of the online environment, and provide suggestions for moving these activities to an in-person format. We also include links to files in our Google Drive, where members of the Math Circle community can download our worksheets and Miro board templates.