The players were narrowed down Thursday at the territorial competition of MATHCOUNTS at Country Day School on St. Croix.
Out of 16 V.I. mathletes that competed, four will be flying to Orlando, Fla., in May to participate in the 2010 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition.
Making up the team will be eighth-grade classmates Chris Carr and Hannah Coughlin from St. Croix Country Day School; while Raheem Knight from Elena Christian Junior High and Mikaela Carty from V.I. Montessori School on St. Thomas will round out the team.
Carr is representing the territory his second year in a row. He said his goal is to do better than he did last year. He was also the top scorer in the competition held at the Country Day pavilion.
“It felt really good hearing my name called for first place,” Carr said. “Last year I was fourth; this is a big step for me.”
In MATHCOUNTS, sixth- through eighth-grade students compete as a team and individually in written and oral matches in the subjects of algebra, probability, statistics and geometry.
Competition got under way with a Sprint Round made up of 30 timed problems done by each student individually to test accuracy. Round two was the Target Round lasting 30 minutes. This round consisted of eight problems presented to each individual. It featured multi-step problems that engaged students in mathematical reasoning and problem-solving with the use of a calculator.
Next was the Team Round consisting of 10 problems solved by team members working together with calculators. The fourth round was the Countdown Round, a timed oral competition for the top-scoring individuals based on scores from previous rounds. Four pairs of students without calculators competed against each other doing timed problems that lasted seven rounds.
Juanita Boneque, St. Croix Mathematics Coordinator, said MATHCOUNTS helps to inspire and motivate students to excel in math. “This helps to prepare the students to rule the world and compete in math and science fields,” Boneque said.
Rachel Newman, the coach from Country Day, will accompany the four students on an all-expense paid trip to Florida for the competition May 7.
“The kids did what they do best and had fun at it,” Newman said. “Preparation and getting the chance to go was the top priority.”
Carty said she is really anxious about the upcoming competition but also excited. “I’m going to Disney World!” she said.
First-round preliminaries were held on St. Thomas and St. Croix in February.
Locally, MATHCOUNTS is sponsored by the V.I. Department of Education, St. Croix Mid-Isle Rotary Club and St. Thomas Rotary I & II Clubs.
