Junior high and middle school mathletes from St. Thomas and St. John schools will compete on Feb. 24, in the chapter competition of the national MATHCOUNTS®program. The competition, organized by the Department of Education and sponsored by Rotary Club of St. Thomas II, will be held at 9 a.m. at the Palms Court Harbourview Hotel.A total of 12 schools will take part in the competition to include: Addelita Cancryn, Bertha C. Boschulte, Julius E. Sprauve, Leonard Dober, Joseph Gomez, Yvonne Milliner-Bowsky, Lockhart, Ulla Muller, All Saints, Antilles, V.I. Montessori and International Academy, and Wesleyan Academy.Participating students are reminded to wear their full school uniforms or team T-shirts and to report at the venue at 8:30 a.m.
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. Subject areas include algebra, probability, statistics and geometry. Winners will receive trophies and plaques. The four mathletes with the highest individual scores and the members of the top team will advance to the statefinals, to be held in the St. Croix District on March 17. The national competition will be held in Washington, D.C., in early May.
MATHCOUNTS®is a national program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students. The program focuses on middle school students who are at a crucial stage in developing and sustaining math interest and ability. Students who do not begin developing strong problem-solving, logical thinking and analytical abilities in middle school will face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a medical, scientific, mathematical, engineering or technical career.
Approximately 40,000 students, representing over 6,000 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and Department of Defense and State Department affiliated schools will take part in this year’s competition.
The national sponsors are Raytheon Company, National Defense Education Program, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Northrop Grumman Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers, 3M Foundation, PITSCO Education, CNA Foundation, and ConocoPhillips. The National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation founded MATHCOUNTS ®.
For more information, contact Mr. Romney at 775-2250, ext. 8545 or visit www.mathcounts.org.
