Middle school Mathletes from St. Croix schools will compete in the local contest of the national MATHCOUNTS® program at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Good Hope School gymnasium.
Over 100 students representing eleven schools in the district will compete. Schools to be represented are: Arthur A. Richards Jr. High, St. Patrick’s, Good Hope, IQRA Academy, Eulalie Rivera Elementary, John H. Woodson Jr. High, Country Day, Ricardo Richards Elementary, Elena Christian Jr. High, Church God of Holiness Academy and Manor School, according to Juanita Boneque, St. Croix math coordinator.
“Teachers and students have been working together in preparation for the St. Croix competition since the fall,” Boneque said. “Successful St. Croix Mathletes will have the opportunity to compete territorially and nationally.”
Students will compete individually and as teams in written and fast-paced oral matches. Subjects include algebra, probability, statistics and geometry. Winners will receive trophies and will advance to the State MATHCOUNTS® Competition, to be held in the St. Thomas-St. John District on March 17, 2011. The national competition will be held from May 5-8 in Washington, D.C.
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.
The mission of MATHCOUNTS® is to increase enthusiasm for math and enhance math achievement in middle schools throughout the United States and its territories. With that goal in mind, the MATHCOUNTS foundation has provided free of charge the MATHCOUNTS®school handbook to assist school coaches and volunteers with material necessary to prepare the students with adequate problem solving and mathematical skills. The questions are written with the seventh and eighth grade curriculum in mind, although sixth graders are also eligible to compete. Additionally, most mathematical problems are designed to challenge and accelerate students.
The 2011 competition program will consist of approximately 40,000 students, representing more than 6,000 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U. S. territories and Department of Defense and State Department affiliated schools.
The national sponsors of MATHCOUNTS® are Raytheon Company, National Defense Education Program, Northrop Grumman Foundation, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, ThinkFun, Texas Instruments Incorporated and 3M Foundation. Founding members are the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation. Additional information is available at www.mathcounts.org.
Locally, the V.I. Department of Education, St. Croix Mid-Isle Rotary Club, St. Thomas Rotary I and II Clubs, and other local contributors sponsor MATHCOUNTS®.
For more information, contact Juanita Boneque at 778-1600, ext. 7054.