PANAMA CITY — Teams from Merritt Brown Middle School and Bay Haven Charter Academy are headed to the state MATHCOUNTS competition in Orlando, after finishing first and second, respectively, in the regional event Friday.
The schools will represent the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society in Orlando at the state competition on March 20.
About 130 middle school students from about 40 middle schools from Bay, Calhoun, Holmes, Gulf, Jackson and Washington counties competed against one another at the regional MATHCOUNTS competition. The event, held at the Advanced Technology Center at Gulf Coast State College, determined the region’s top two teams, as well as the top eight individuals who will go to the state competition.
The top eight students who will advance are:
1. Trey Folsom, Merritt Brown
2 Sierra Vertrees, Merritt Brown
3. Jacob Windham, Merritt Brown
4. Yvette Polanka, Merritt Brown
5. Monica Espanola, Merritt Brown
6. Nicholas Anason, Bay Haven
7. Ryan Hooks, Bay Haven
8. Madison Scott, Merritt Brown
“It’s just an exciting time,” said Gulf Coast MATHCOUNTS regional coordinator Arthur Hooks. “The exciting portion of this is that you’re starting to see a push for” science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Math is the unifier of each STEM field, he added.
It was seventh-grader Abigail Anderson’s second year competing. Her school, Holy Nativity Episcopal School, hasn’t represented the region at the state level in about 10 years.
“It’s been hard,” Anderson said of Friday’s competition, chuckling. “I had to guess on quite a few, but it was fun.”
Anderson’s math coach, Holy Nativity math teacher Amy Moody, said students develop a network of math lovers as a result of preparing and performing at MATHCOUNTS.
“I really believe the children look forward to today,” Moody said. “It gives students the opportunity to compare themselves with other students.”
Merritt Brown Middle School and Bay Haven Charter Academy have been main competitors at the state level, representing the district.
Hooks said, although it’s a good record, fewer schools in the region are participating in the competition because it’s assumed those top two schools will win.
Hooks said MATHCOUNTS competitions stimulate critical-thinking skills and prepare students for STEM-related fields, which is something all schools can benefit from.
“They feel a bit more competitive than just sitting at a desk,” Hook added. “It’s solving real-world problems using math.”