Over 250 middle school students from New Haven and West Haven gathered in Davies Auditorium on May 1 to show just how calculating they can be.
It was not their deviousness, but their mathematical skills, that the students demonstrated at the third annual competition co-sponsored by the Yale undergraduate organization Mathcounts® Outreach and Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs.
The competition capped months of hard work by the middle school students who have been flexing their mathematical muscles under the guidance of 45 Yale student coaches. Throughout the year, Yale students have gone into New Haven and West Haven public middle schools every week to help youngsters build their problem-solving skills and develop an interest in math.
The competition consisted of several written components that challenged the students to solve complex, multi-step problems with and without the aid of a calculator. The top students then participated in a Countdown Round, a fast-paced, one-on-one oral competition similar to “Jeopardy.” Kenneth Matthews, supervisor of mathematics for New Haven Public Schools, joined other officials in presenting the student competitors with awards.
Mathcounts Outreach is a collaboration between Yale undergraduates, the New Haven Public Schools’ math department and the Mathcounts Foundation. “Mathcounts Outreach uses the energy and enthusiasm of Yale students to provide a fun, enriching environment for middle-school students, sparking an interest in problem solving and mathematics,” said Ari Berlin, co-president of Mathcounts Outreach.
For more information about Mathcounts Foundation, visit www.mathcounts.org; for information about Mathcounts Outreach, visit www.mathcountsoutreach.org.
