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What
is MATHCOUNTS?
MATHCOUNTS
is a motivating and rewarding national math coaching
and competition program that promotes middle
school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement
in every U.S. state and territory. In Florida, participating
middle schools compete individually or as part of a team
in one of nineteen FES Chapter MATHCOUNTS competitions
held in February. FES Chapters in turn send their winning
teams and individuals to the state competition held in
Orlando in March. "Mathletes" compete to advance
to the Annual National Competition, typically held in
May of each year. All Mathletes® must be in the 6th,
7th, or 8th grade, and have typically been coached for
several months by their middle school within their daily
curriculum and/or on personal time. Each competition
includes both written and oral math testing on a very
high level. The Florida Engineering Society (FES) is
proud to have sponsored Florida's MATHCOUNTS since it's
origination in 1983.
MATHCOUNTS
attracts students with an interest in high-tech and
engineering fields. In a
survey of past state competitors
the top three chosen college majors were engineering,
mathematics, and computer science. MATHCOUNTS participants
are high achievers. Surveys show that nearly 45 percent
of alumni report a combined SAT score of 1500 or above.
For more information about MATHCOUNTS please visit www.mathcounts.org.
Florida's
MATHCOUNTS
The
size of the chapter competitions and state competition
are
steadily increasing as FES strives to make it more
exciting and fun, and include greater numbers of students
than the previous year. In 2005, Florida's state competition
hosted 245 Mathletes® from around the state, comprising
45 teams and 27 individual competitors.
 The
team competition combines scores achieved in three
rounds of written tests
which were administered by Chip
Hoover, PE, Myakka Chapter MATHCOUNTS Representative.
The 2005 competition produced a team of four middle
school Mathletes® and their coach to represent Florida at
the MATHCOUNTS National Competition in Detroit, Michigan,
May 5-8, 2005. The students and coach are: Karlanna Lewis,
Fairview Middle School, Tallahassee; Michael Banaszek,
Howard Bishop School, Gainesville; Philip Bauer, Safety
Harbor Middle School, Safety Harbor; Brynmor Chapman,
Maclay Middle School, Tallahassee and Coach Terry King,
Fairview Middle School, Tallahassee.
The
Florida Engineering Society awarded top teams and individuals
with trophies
and scholarships at the state
competition, and will send the top four on an all-expense-paid
trip to participate in the national competition. This
winning state team will also participate in two FES-sponsored
retreats in preparation for the national event. Sponsors are
vital to Florida's MATHCOUNTS program. FES would like
to thank its 2005 MATHCOUNTS state sponsors:
Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan; Publix Super Markets
Charities; Collinsworth, Alter, Nielson, Fowler & Dowling;
Gulf Power Foundation, WilsonMiller, Miller Legg Associates
and Figg Engineering Group. Thanks also to Peoples First
Community Bank in Tallahassee for the donation of goods
to the competition.
MATHCOUNTS
Magic Florida MATHCOUNTS partnered with the
Orlando Magic again this year, coordinated by the Magic’s very
own Steve Chamberland. Oral rounds were held on the floor
of the TD Waterhouse Centre, where the Orlando Magic
plays, on Friday, March 10th. Mathletes® attended
the Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game that
evening. During halftime announcements, MATHCOUNTS winners
were recognized on center court.
Florida's
Volunteers
Co-chairmen
Glenn Forrest, PE, Central Florida Chapter, and Scott
Johnson, PE, Northeast Chapter led a team of
over 50 volunteers hosting the state competition. The "calculating
wizards" in the scoring room, facilitated by Bob
Mackey of the Central Florida Chapter, produced accurate
and timely results. Carole Forrest from the Central Florida
Chapter hosted the coaches' room. MATHCOUNTS substantial
volunteer network, composed of over 400 Professional
Engineers, teachers, engineering students, math students,
corporate volunteers, and alumni use the MATHCOUNTS program
throughout the school year to foster students' creativity
and self-confidence. Without the time, energy, and enthusiasm
of these outstanding volunteers, MATHCOUNTS would not
be as enriching or as expansive as it has become.
Why
MATHCOUNTS Works
MATHCOUNTS
works because it:
- Motivates
and rewards students by fostering team problem solving
and competitive spirit;
- Is
more than a competition. It involves students and
teachers in year long coaching
sessions and helps students
at varied skill levels;
- Builds
math skills, promotes strategic problem solving and
challenges students
to sharpen their analytical
abilities;
- Gives
America's sixth, seventh and eighth grade math teachers
incentive to excel in the classroom
and
provides state of the art materials to enhance education in
the classroom;
- Stimulates
student interest in math by introducing students
to math related careers
through contacts
with engineers and other program volunteers;
- Is
educator-driven. Materials and activities are structured
to meet student needs
identified by educators
and are written each year by members of the National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics in keeping with
the NCTM curriculum standards.
For additional information on the MATHCOUNTS program,
please visit www.fleng.org or call Dee Kring, CMP, FES
Director of Member Events, or Julie Draper, FES Member
Events Coordinator at 850-224-7121.
National
MATHCOUNTS Registration and Information
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