HUGHESVILLE, Md. - More than 100 students from Southern Maryland middle schools tested their computation skills at the thirteenth annual MATHCOUNTS competition held at Mechanicsville Elementary School on Saturday, February 3. During the three-hour competition, the students tackled challenging mathematics problems in a series of exciting rounds.
For the team competition, Leonardtown Middle School in St. Mary's County came in first: team members included Forrest Csuy, Christopher Culpepper, Amie Gilligan, and Aparna Sajja, coached by Richard Condle. Esperanza Middle School in St. Mary's County placed second: team members included Peter Offenbacher, Joseph Vandegrift, Jackie Weber, and Noah Wichrowski, coached by Craig Modrzejewski. Northern Middle School in Calvert County came in third: team members included Thomas Adair, Timmy Bohannon, Zack Dowell, and Jimmy Fagan, coached by Judy Haines. Milton Somers Middle School in Charles County placed fourth: team members included Ian Farris, Ross Gardiner, Alex Smith, and William Still, coached by Heather Johnson. Mill Creek Middle School in Calvert County came in fifth: team members included Stephen Balinski, Scott Gilmour, Anastasia Hamilton, and Jason Mayer, coached by Jamie Ankrom.
In the countdown rounds, Peter Offenbacher of Esperanza Middle School placed first and Jason Mayer of Mill Creek Middle School placed second.
In the target and sprint rounds, students competed to see who could score highest on their individual test. For these exams, Forrest Csuy of Leonardtown Middle School placed first and Peter Offenbacher of Esperanza Middle School placed second.
The local MATHCOUNTS competition is sponsored by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative and the Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's County school systems, with the support of the Society of Professional Engineers. Winners of the Southern Maryland chapter competition will go on to compete in the statewide contest. State winners will progress to the national competition in Baltimore, Maryland.