Feb. 19, 2019

Math contest draws high school students from four-state region

Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics on Feb. 14 hosted “We Love Math: High School Contest,” which drew 115 students in grades nine through 12 from districts throughout the four-state region.

Students were registered in large school or small school divisions and competed in four events throughout the morning. Two events engaged students individually while the last two events required school teams.

Fifty students qualified to attend their home-state meets in the four-state region by earning at least 50 percent of the points in any one event or scoring better than the 80th percentile.

MCTM provided awards, including ribbons to the top five students on individual tests in each grade, medals for the top three students overall and sweepstakes plaques honoring one overall winning school in each division. The sweepstakes winners were Holden (Missouri) High School in the small schools division and Lee’s Summit (Missouri) North High School in the large schools division.

Sponsors attended a short welcome meeting where Dr. Justin Hoffmeier, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, shared information about the department master’s degree opportunities. Dr. Brian Haile, an associate professor of mathematics and statistics, addressed students at the beginning of the afternoon awards ceremony and described degree paths for students interested in mathematics or mathematics education. He shared video clips of two Northwest mathematics majors who discussed projects from recent summer-internship experiences.

The contest provided an alternative format to replace the former Math Olympiad. Brian Swink, a Northwest instructor of mathematics and statistics and Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) board member, saw an opportunity to partner with MCTM and MathLeague.org to host this contest.

“This contest supported secondary teachers in the region as well as showcased the University and the department,” Swink said.

MCTM’s mission is to support all mathematics educators and promote high quality instruction. The organization hosts contests for elementary, middle and secondary school students throughout the state that allow students to qualify for state-level competition. MCTM also awards grants to Missouri teachers, and Outstanding Mathematics Educator Awards are given out at its annual conference every December.

View official results for the contest at Northwest and more information about MCTM contests, visit Math Contests.