MCS team tops MATHCOUNTS

Mount Carmel School mathletes ruled yesterday’s MATHCOUNTS’ battle of math wizards in the CNMI.

The MCS team, composed of Henry Lee, Ryan Ortizo, Melanie Villarin and Joshua Alegado, surprised and delighted the crowd with their victory because, of the four members, only Lee made it to the top 10 mathletes during the individual competition.

The winning school’s score of 41 was only a point away from Calvary Christian Academy, which bagged the second place for the team category. Marianas Baptist Academy Team A and Team B broke the tie for third place with 36 points, which Team B eventually won.

MBA, which had ruled the previous MATHCOUNTS competition, ranked third overall.

For the individual category, MBA’s 8th grader Esther Go ranked number one, followed by Chacha Oceanview Junior High School’s Joseph Kumagai. Lee ranked third while Calvary’s Yong Hwa Choi finished fourth.

Other students who made it to the top 10 were: MBA’s Richard Parr, Hopwood Junior High School’s Roland Arii, CCA’s Jeremiah Perez, MBA’s Joan Lee, Tinian Junior High School’s Patrick Diaz, and MBA”s Tyler Yoshimoto.

Middle school Mathletes from Saipan, Tinian and Rota competed in the local edition of the national MATHCOUNTS competition yesterday at the Multi-Purpose Center, in Susupe from 8am to 12 noon.

A total of 14 schools and about 150 students competed. Other schools that participated were Dandan Elementary School, Eucon International School, Eskuelan San Francisco De Borja, Grace Christian Academy, Saipan Community School, Saipan International School, Tinian Elementary School, and Whispering Palms.

The students competed individually and as teams in written and fast-paced oral matches. Subjects included algebra, probability, statistics and geometry. Winners received trophies, and are now qualified for the State MATHCOUNTS finals, to be held on March 18 at the same venue.

MATHCOUNTS is a national program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students. The program focuses on middle school students, who are at a crucial stage in developing and sustaining math interest and ability.

The local tilt was organized by EFC Engineers and Architects Corp.

EFC’s Paul Barron hosted the event yesterday. He thanked local sponsors that made the event possible, including Chong’s Corp., Deloitte & Touche, DFS Saipan, Geotesting, Inc., Microl Corp., Mobil Oil Marianas, Modern Stationary, and National Office Supply.

MATHCOUNTS’ founding sponsors are the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CAN Foundation. National Sponsors are the ADC Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Lockheed Martin, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Northrop Grumman Foundation, Raytheon Co., Shell Oil Company, Texas Instruments Inc. 3M Foundation, and Xerox Corp.