Northern Vermont University-Lyndon Hosts MATHCOUNTS Competition
Twelve Northeast Kingdom middle school students in the annual MATHCOUNTS competition at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon will compete in the statewide contest March 9 at Vermont Technical College.
The nonprofit MATHCOUNTS foundation, with four Vermont chapters, coordinates math enrichment activities around the U.S. for middle school students. Sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers, MATHCOUNTS aims to encourage students to pursue math, science and engineering. Two Vermont students in the state contest will advance to the national MATHCOUNTS competition.
In the recent MATHCOUNTS Northeastern Vermont Chapter competition at NVU-Lyndon, Thaddeus Stevens School took first place, Twinfield Union School came in second, Craftsbury Academy placed third, and NEK Homeschoolers finished fourth. About 50 students from eight schools and the homeschoolers team participated.
In individual results in the countdown round, Kameron Drew from Danville School, coached by Emily Greaves, placed first, and Theodora Montague on the NEK Homeschoolers team, coached by Laura Montague, placed second and will advance to the state contest.
“It’s a way to recognize students who are interested in exceling in math,” says NVU-Lyndon math professor Daisy McCoy, who coordinates the Northeastern Vermont Chapter. “And it gives students a chance to meet other students interested in math from other schools.”
The competition included algebra, geometry, probability and statistics problems, some focused on computation and others on reasoning. “The problems are quite challenging,” McCoy says. “There are many problems that would be challenging for high school or even college students.”
Other students at the NVU-Lyndon event who will compete in the statewide MATHCOUNTS competition include Hannah Keith, Ben Krause, Owen McClure and Nico Sipples of Thaddeus Stevens
School, coached by Jon Snyder; Rowan Cleary, Logan Kimball, Keenan Wallace and Shea Winter of Twinfield Union School, coached by Kandi Greaves; Thomas Edgar of Danville School; and Cole Vanwinkle of Craftsbury Academy, coached by David Moody.
Lyndon Town School, The Riverside School, St. Johnsbury School and St. Paul’s Catholic School also competed at the NVU-Lyndon MATHCOUNTS event.