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GMS MATHCOUNTS team places 2nd
TERRE HAUTE -- The Greencastle Middle School team placed second at the regional MATHCOUNTS competition, held Feb. 12 at Rose-Hulman University.
The GMS team finished just behind Honey Creek Middle School of Terre Haute.
Individually, Zach Wilkerson placed 12th, Beth Ann Hansen placed 13th, Sedrick Weinschenk placed 15th and Katie Rose Parsons placed 19th.
Other students from GMS who participated as individuals were Kelly Hansen and Colin Dombrowski.
The regional competition involved more than 100 students from eight middle schools in Vigo and Putnam counties. Each student participated in three rounds of written competition: sprint, testing quickness to solve 30 problems in 40 minutes without the aid of a calculator; target, testing problem-solving skills (eight problems in 24 minutes using a calculator); and team, testing teamwork abilities to solve 10 problems in 20 minutes using a calculator.
Then, the top 24 students squared off in a game show-type countdown round, where quick problem-solving skills were exhibited on stage in front of everyone.
Middle school students race to answer without using a calculator such questions as, "The Norman High School Math Club has twice as many male members as female members. Twenty percent of the male members and thirty percent of the female members participated in a math contest. What fraction of those members participating in the math contest were female? Express your answer as a common fraction."
Now the Greencastle Middle School team is busy preparing for the state MATHCOUNTS contest in March.
To secure America's global competitiveness, MATHCOUNTS inspires excellence, confidence and curiosity in middle school students through fun and challenging math programs. Approximately 100,000 students from more than 6,000 schools participate in the MATHCOUNTS Competition Program at the school level.
The regional competition was organized by Rose-Hulman University and the Francis Vigo chapter of the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE). Companies supporting the regional event included Terre Haute Savings Bank, Baesler's Market, Digital Audio Disc Corp., Eli Lilly & Co.'s Clinton Laboratories, Bemis Co., Commonwealth Dynamics, Sycamore Engineering, Feutz Contractors and Novelis Corp.
Funding for the national MATHCOUNTS program comes primarily from its National Sponsors; Raytheon Company, National Defense Education Program, Northrop Grumman Foundation, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, ConocoPhillips, Pitsco Education, Texas Instruments Incorporated and 3M Foundation.