Eighty-four middle school “mathletes” added excitement with a little friendly rivalry to the equation during this year’s district MATHCOUNTS competition. Held at Johnston Community College (JCC), students from all 14 brick-and-mortar middle schools participated in the annual district competition, marking the first time in many years that all were represented.
“I feel that the growth in popularity in participating in MATHCOUNTS stems from the coaches' enthusiasm at the school level, along with providing a fun, engaging event for students who enjoy mathematics,” said JCPS Teaching & Learning Secondary Math Specialist Amanda Byrd.
Team members showed off their personalities by inventing clever team names, such as the Four Oaks Middle Cardinal Coefficients, Swift Creek Middle DiviDENS, and Meadow School’s team, The Meadow Matrix. All fun aside, the “mathletes” were well-prepared and ready to calculate a win.
The all-day event included three rounds of competition: Sprint, Target, and a four-person Team Round. Students competed to be in the top 4 for individual trophies and the top 3 four-person teams.
In the individual category, Avery Scott of Princeton Middle added up the wins, ultimately taking home the first-place trophy. Rece Willingham and Benjamin Krakowsky, both representing the Cleveland Middle Calculators, earned second and third place, respectively. Joan Chavez of The Meadow Matrix took fourth place in the individual competition.
For the team event, the Cleveland Middle Calculators earned first place, with Princeton Middle The Bulldogs coming in second place. The Innovation Academy πoneers rounded out the top three for the team event.
The final and most fun event is the Countdown Round, similar to Jeopardy, where the top eight individuals battled in a speed-buzzer match to be the last individual standing. As the only part of the competition that is open to the public, the auditorium was filled with parents, volunteers, JCPS staff and administrators, and local dignitaries.
The top medalists for the Countdown Round were Avery Scott of Princeton Middle, taking home first place. Second place went to Benjamin Krakowsky of the Cleveland Middle Calculators, and Luke Spears from the Swift Creek Middle DiviDENS came in third place. Spears also received the Most Questions Answered Correctly category during the Countdown Round Competition.
As a national middle school mathematics competition, MATHCOUNTS builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person "bee" style contests. The four-level series includes school, chapter, state, and national competitions. Individual and team winners will represent JCPS in the chapter competition in Raleigh, then move on to the state and national levels.
"MATHCOUNTS is not only about finding the right answer, but it's also about learning how to think critically, solve problems, and work together to tackle math’s challenges,” stated Byrd.
The Cleveland Middle Calculators won first place in the Team Category. Pictured are (back row, from left): Samuel Krakowsky, Benjamin Krakowsky (second place, Countdown Round and third place, Individual Category), Rece Willingham (second place, Individual Category), and Farrah Lockhart. (Front row, from left): Joseph Tamakloe, Olivia Yuet, and Coach Irene Mendoza Caringal.
The Princeton Middle Bulldogs team shows off their second-place trophy. Pictured are (from left): Berkeley Beddingfield, Kyle Gray, Brayden Sharek, Avery Scott (first place in the Individual Category and first place in the Countdown Round), and Willow Kenney.
Members of the Innovation Academy πoneers stand for a team photo after their third-place win in the Team Category. Pictured are (back row from left): Jacob Winfield, Bryson Miller, and Oliver Bowman. (Front row, from left): Silas Buckner, Enwei Wong, Charlotte Wilson, and Coach Tonya Crocker.
Avery Scott from the Princeton Middle Bulldogs displays his trophy and medals for first place in the Individual Category and first place in the Countdown Round.
Benjamin Krakowsky proudly displays his trophy and medals for second place in the Countdown Round and third place in the Individual Category.
Luke Spears, a member of the Swift Creek Middle DiviDENS, shows off his medals for third place in the Countdown Round and Most Questions Answered Correctly in the Countdown Round.