It’s a beautiful Saturday, 63 degrees and sunny, and yet
80-plus sixth, seventh and eighth graders are doing math problems by
choice. The students are taking part in the 2001 statewide
MATHCOUNTS competition sponsored by the Virginia Society of Professional
Engineers, TRW Inc., CORPRINT, Nabisco, Inc. and the Virginia Tech College
of Engineering. For anyone who has witnessed one of the Virginia
MATHCOUNTS championships since they began in 1987, it is obvious that the
students who participate are not ordinary students. These youngsters
are truly mathletes.
Professional engineers routinely shake their head in
disbelief as they watch these youngsters answer difficult mathematical
questions in 45 seconds during the countdown round using only scratch
paper and a pencil to help solve them. MATHCOUNTS chairman and VSPE
board member Bill Horton referred to how bright the mathletes were this
year when he joked at this years contest that parents probably knew only
10 percent of the answers.
It’s obvious from the attendance that parents are
critical to the success of the students. Moms and dads fill the
hallways and line the perimeter of the testing room, reading books,
magazines and generally killing time until their proud student comes
running for a hug at the end of the morning testing rounds. The
encouragement of parents is important for these students to give up a
beautiful Saturday, as well numerous afternoons before the contest in
practice sessions. Scott and Deb Stevens are both James Madison
University professors and the parents of Thomas Harrison Middle School
seventh grader mathlete, 12 year old Chris. They say, “His team
practiced twice a week for a little over an hour a day with two algebra
teachers leading up to the state finals. It’s a real achievement
that he and all of the other students are even at the state finals.”
Robert Sciegaj is a coach for Daniel Morgan Middle School
in Winchester and Eric Miller is a coach for James Woods Middle School,
also in Winchester, and are both big supporters of the MATHCOUNTS program.
They say, “MATHCOUNTS is a good outlet for the students and gives them a
challenge outside the classroom, more than the SOLs. It’s one of
the best stimulators ever invented. These kids don’t have problems
with math SOLs and they need the challenge.” Sciegaj gives his
team an added motivator, a trip to Kings Dominion after the competition is
over.
For those wondering how do you turn a typical student into
a mathlete, the Stevens, who are economics and physics professors, use
math at home as a game. They have used math to help solve little
problems and questions around the house on a regular basis. Perhaps
more of us should be asking our five and six year olds; if you eat three
bites of beans and three bites of jell-O, how many bites have you eaten?
If we did, then maybe our children will be mathletes and earning trips to
the national championships.
Parents and coaches must be doing a good job because the
Virginia mathletes were second in the national competition last year and
fifth in 1999. A heartfelt congratulations to all of the mathletes
at the 2001 state championships, best of luck to the Virginia team at the
National championships May 10-13 in Washington, D. C. and here is the list
of the winners.
Virginia
MATHCOUNTS TEAM their school and locality:
1. Jack Cackler; Longfellow Middle School,
Falls Church
2. Veronica Pillar; Longfellow Middle School,
Falls Church
3. Eric Price; Longfellow Middle School, Falls
Church
4. Thomas Mildorf; Carl Sandburg Middle
School, Alexandria
5. (team alternate) Robert Brady; Longfellow
Middle School, Falls Church
6. (team alternate) Jeffrey Ketchersid, Fuqua
School, Prince Edward
The
top scoring school teams, the locality
where they are located and the school region they represent are:
1. Longfellow Middle School, Falls Church,
Northern Virginia
2. Rocky Run Middle School, Chantilly, Fairfax
3. Carl Sandburg Middle School, Alexandria,
George Washington
4. Manchester Middle School, Chesterfield,
Richmond
5. Andrew Lewis Middle School, Salem, Roanoke
6. Blacksburg Middle School, Blacksburg,
Southwestern
The
top students in the countdown round were:
1. Jack Cackler, Longfellow Middle School
2. Eric Price, Longfellow Middle School
3. Thomas Mildorf, Carl Sandburg Middle School
4. Tim Polio, Blacksburg Middle School
BACK
TO TOP | HOME | Webmaster
MATHCOUNTS
archive >
Past
MATHCOUNTS winners