Junior high and middle school mathletes from St. Thomas and St. John schools will compete in the chapter competition of the national MATHCOUNTS program. The competition, which is organized by the Department of Education and sponsored by Rotary Club of St. Thomas II, will be begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Palms Court Harbourview Hotel.
A total of 12 schools represented by 85 students will take part in the competition. Schools represented will include: Bertha C. Boschulte, Julius E. Sprauve, Gladys Abraham, Joseph Gomez, Joseph Sibilly, Lockhart, Ulla Muller, All Saints, Antilles, V.I. Montessori, Gifft Hill and Wesleyan Academy.
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 will include algebra, probability, statistics and geometry. The winners will receive trophies and plaques, and the four mathletes with the highest individual scores and the members of the top team will advance to the statefinals, which will be held on St. Croix on March 25.
Celebrating its 27th anniversary, MATHCOUNTSis 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 as well as the Defense and State Departments’ affiliated schools will take part in this year’s competition.
The national sponsors of MATHCOUNTSare Raytheon Company, National Defense Education Program, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Northrop Grumman Foundation, 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.