More than 60 middle school “mathletes” will converge on the campus of Ferris State
University on Thursday, Feb. 21 for the Woodbridge Ferris MATHCOUNTS Competition.
Students from six area schools will participate in the day-long competition sponsored by the Big Rapids chapter of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers and Ferris’ College of Engineering Technology. The nationwide math-enrichment competition for sixth- through eighth-grade students is designed to challenge young math minds individually and in teams.
Participating will be students from Big Rapids Middle School, coached by Lane Blatchford; Crossroads Charter Academy, coached by Paullette Warczinksy; McBain Middle School, coached by Jeremy DeVos; Morley-Stanwood Middle School, coached by Tom Sibley; St. Peters Lutheran School, coached by David Truog; and Marion Middle School, coached by Tim Michell.
The event, in the Rankin Student Center Dome Room, begins at 9 a.m. with preliminary individual and team rounds. The top 10 individuals will compete in the Countdown Round at 1 p.m. that pits two competitors side-by-side facing a projection screen where problems are presented. The competitors have 45 seconds to solve each problem.
The top two individuals and the top four-member team will advance to the state MATHCOUNTS competition in March in Warren. First-, second- and third-place winners will be awarded trophies. All participants will be presented certificates, and students, coaches and volunteers – made up of Ferris faculty, staff and students and Big Rapids community members -- will receive a T-shirt, other prizes and lunch on campus.
MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation to provide fun and challenging math programs to increase academic and professional opportunities. Information about mathcounts.
The event is open to the public. For more information on the competition at Ferris, contact regional coordinator Chuck Drake, a Mechanical Engineering Technology professor at the university, at (231) 591-2788.