Math Competition Goes Virtual
Social distancing precautions took the 2021 MATHCOUNTS competition to a virtual platform. During the event held February 5-6, local middle schoolers enjoyed the fast-paced challenge testing their math skills. The Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is one of the local sponsors of the competition.
Those scoring in the top 20% of competitors and the highest-ranking competitor in each school will move on to the Chapter Invitational. The top five competitors from the Chapter Invitational will go to the state competition. The top four individuals from each state competition receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition in Washington, DC, in May.
The top five students advancing from Southern Maryland are:
- Sam Zolfaghari, Northern Middle School
- Grace Wood, Northern Middle School
- Denali Mohler, Calvert Middle School
- Ray Holmberg, Calvert Middle School
- Samuel Richardson, Northern Middle School
The coach for Northern Middle School is Carole Butler. The coach for Calvert Middle School is Kelly Kosa.
MATHCOUNTS aims to boost student interest in mathematics by making the subject challenging and entertaining. Each year, more than 500 regional competitions are held across the country, with winners advancing to state competitions and then to the national competition.
The local MATHCOUNTS competition features rounds of mathematics problems to challenge students. First is the sprint round, a 30-question test that students complete individually. The competitors go next to the target round, where they have four sets of math problems and six minutes to complete each set of two questions.
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is a customer-owned electric cooperative providing electricity to more than 150,000 services in southern Prince George’s County, Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and Calvert County.
To learn more about SMECO, visit its Leader member page. Visit SMECO on the company’s Facebook Page and Twitter.
