Competition Celebrates Student Mathletes

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Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from (CMS), (EAMS) and (MMS) Middle Schools, , and (LVCS) participated in the held on Saturday, Jan. 7, in the Student Union.

This was the 16^th Annual Livermore MATHCOUNTS Competition where 112 students competed in two individual rounds and one team round of challenging mathematics. Scores from the initial rounds were compiled for the top 10 seventh and eighth graders to compete in the final Lightning Round of competition. Students participate in weekly MATHCOUNTS meetings where volunteers engage students in solving problems in order to prepare for competition.

The top finishers are as follow:

Top 10 7th & 8th Grade Individuals:

• 1. Ethan Epperly, CMS
• 2. Joshua Hart, CMS
• 3. Jeremy Anninos, MMS
• 4. Roopjote Atwal, MMS
• 5. Nick Sobrepena, LVCS
• 6. Emma Kristovich, EAMS
• 7. Joseph Chatterjee, MMS
• 8. Scott Plantenga, MMS
• 9. Jordan Combitis, LVCS
• 10.Nathan Barney, MMS

Top 5 6th Graders:

• 1. Shannon Yan, MMS
• 2. Andrew Divita, MMS
• 3. Dillon Pedro, MMS
• 4. Sarah Morgan, MMS
• 5. Nicolas Macchioni, MMS

Top 7th & 8th Grade Teams:

• 1. MMS-Nathan Barney, Jeremy Anninos, Joseph Chatterjee, Roopjote Atwal
• 2. CMS- Ethan Epperly, Joshua Hart, Chloe McGlynn, Jessica Munoz
• 3. LVCS-Jordan Combitis, Pranav Raja, Nick Sobrepena, Amber Tang

Top 6th Grade Teams:

• 1. MMS-Shannon Yan, Andrew Divita, Nicolas Macchioni, Sarah Morgan
• 2. Mixed-CMS & MMS-Ariel Kenfack, Cory Houck, Rhea Park, Matthew Cheng
• 3. MMS-Kaitlyn Martinez, Raenelli Orlino, Robert Pinkston, Chris Kilday

Currently in its 29th year nationally, MATHCOUNTS is an enrichment club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory. To secure America's global competitiveness, MATHCOUNTS inspires excellence, confidence and curiosity in U.S. middle school students through fun and challenging math programs.

More than a competition, MATHCOUNTS motivates and rewards students by fostering teamwork and a competitive spirit; involves students, teachers, and community mentors in year-long coaching sessions; helps students at all levels improve their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; and introduces students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers through contacts with engineers and other professionals who serve as volunteers.

Materials and activities are structured to meet student needs, as identified by educators. Through the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM),  MATHCOUNTS provides middle school-aged students with many benefits including a challenging and fun activity that helps students in their math classes; a chance to share common interests with new and often long-lasting friends; an opportunity to meet students from other schools; the experience of developing teamwork skills; a chance to compete for scholarships and prizes; a sense of accomplishment that comes from setting and achieving goals; an opportunity to explore mathematics and mathematics-related careers; and a chance to explore a variety of math that isn't always taught in middle school classrooms.

More information can be found on the Livermore Valley joint Unified School District website (www.livermoreschools.com) and the MATHCOUNTS website (www.mathcounts.org).

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