Student mathletes participate in regional MATHCOUNTS contest
Perkins County students will be among teams of sixth, seventh and eighth-grade student “mathletes” from area middle and junior high schools competing in the chapter contests of the national MATHCOUNTS program today, Feb. 6 at the HARMS Center - Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff.
The contest has been organized by the Western Nebraska Chapter of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers.
A total of nine schools and as many as 67 students will compete.
Perkins County will be represented by eighth-grader Eli Busick, and seventh-graders Kailee Potts, Emma Klahn, Ella Uehling, Jaxon Clark and Caitlyn Dolezal.
“We have been working on solving problems before school begins, meeting at 7 a.m. once a week. These students have demonstrated a desire to put extra time in to better themselves as problem solvers and should be commended on their efforts,” said PC math teacher Troy Kemling.
Schools also competing include: Alliance Middle School in Alliance, Bluffs Middle School in Scottsbluff, Kimball Junior High School in Kimball, Mitchell High School in Mitchell, St. Agnes Academy in Alliance, Banner County School in Harrisburg, Gering Junior High in Gering, and Chase County.
Teachers and students have been preparing for the competition since the fall. Students will compete individually and as teams in written and fast-paced oral matches. Subjects include probability, statistics, linear algebra, and polynomials. Winners will receive prizes, and will advance to the state MATHCOUNTS finals, to be held March 16 in Lincoln.
MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide program designed to answer the problem of declining math skills amount U.S. students. Sponsors target 6th, 7th and 8th graders, who are at a crucial stage in developing and sustaining interest and ability in math.
Local sponsors include E & H Certified CPA’s, in Gering/Scottsbluff, Chaloupka, Holyoke, Snyder, Chaloupka, and Longoria P.C. in Scottsbluff, First State Bank in Scottsbluff/Gering, David & Pamela Fisher in Banner County, Intralinks in Gering, J. G. Elliott Insurance Center in Scottsbluff, NPPD, Larry McCaslin Consulting in Scottsbluff,.
National MATHCOUNTS sponsors are the Raytheon Company, U.S. Dept. of Defense, Northrop Grumman Foundation, CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Phillips 66, Texas Instruments Incorporated, and the 3M Foundation, Art of Problem Solving, NextThought.