LA PLATA, Md. (March 06, 2010)—A team from Milton M. Somers Middle School in La Plata will compete next month in the state MathCounts competition after placing fourth among the top five teams at the Southern Maryland competition held Feb. 20 at Theodore G. Davis Middle School in Waldorf.
The state MathCounts competition is scheduled for March 20 at John Hopkins University, and more than 20 middle schools from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties competed in the regional competition. The top five teams advance to the state level.
Somers’ team consists of eighth graders Paige Hood, Jake Lind, Matthew Tyo and Jonathan King. Team coaches are Jen Craigmile and Sarah Williams, mathematics teachers at Somers. Hood also earned tenth place in the individual rankings and Lind placed twelfth. Tyo also placed among the top 25 individual rankings.
Additionally, seven other CCPS students will compete at the state level for earning a place in the top 25 individual rankings at the regional competition. They are: Elizabeth Steinbach, eighth grade, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School; Samantha Lawler, eighth grade, John Hanson Middle School; Daryl Lakner, eighth grade, Somers; Austin Kellett, eighth grade, Hanson; Nathaniel Dudley, seventh grade, Matthew Henson Middle School; Annie Russell, eighth grade, Piccowaxen Middle School; and Steven Marsh, eighth grade, Somers.
The competition consists of four rounds in which students compete and earn points both as team members and individuals. The results of the sprint, target and team rounds determine team standings and the top 12 students compete in a Jeopardy-style countdown round.
MathCounts is one of the country's largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. The regional competition is sponsored by the three Southern Maryland public school systems, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc., and the National Society of Professional Engineers.