LA PLATA, Md. (February 17, 2011) — A team from Matthew Henson Middle School will compete next month in the state MathCounts competition after placing fifth among the top teams at the Southern Maryland competition held Feb. 5 at Theodore G. Davis Middle School in Waldorf.
The state MathCounts competition is scheduled for March 19 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.
Henson’s team consists of eighth graders Ryan Cox, Brittany Culbreth, Nathaniel Dudley and Rebba Stuart. Jessica Stiver, a mathematics teacher at Henson, is the team’s coach. Dudley also earned fifth place in the individual rankings.
Logan Cotner, a sixth grader at Mattawoman Middle School, ranked first among the top 28 students in the individual rankings. He, along with seven other CCPS students, will compete at the state level. They are: Nathaniel Dudley, eighth grade, Henson; Thach-Vu Nguyen, sixth grade, Mattawoman; Justin Arter, seventh grade, Mattawoman; David Messmer, eighth grade, John Hanson Middle School; Alex Catterton, seventh grade, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School; Justin Cortez, sixth grade, Milton M. Somers Middle School; and Maya Omais, sixth grade, Theodore G. Davis Middle School.
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.
Source: Charles County Public School System