In 7th Mathcounts Scores increase 35 percent

The 7th annual CNMI Mathcounts Chapter Competition for 6th, 7th and 8th graders was held Saturday at the Saipan Grand Hotel.

The competition results showed an across the board increase of 35 percent for the average student individual scores while average team scores also increased by a similar percentage when compared to last year’s Chapter Competition.

This year’s competition was the largest ever with 104 students competing.

The top 10 individuals hailed from six schools. The list was topped by Faye Yu of Marianas Baptist Academy who set a Mathcounts record with an almost perfect score of 42 out of 46.

Second place was Byung Hwang from Saipan Community School; third place went to Vidhya Venugopal from MBA; fourth place was Emmanuel Borja of Mount Carmel School; Jung Mun Chung of MBA, 5th; Calvary Christian Academy’s Jong Heun Yang was 6th; Keith Cruz of MCS placed 7th; Hopwood Junior High School’s Jon Tabora was 8th; and Grace Christian Academy’s Na Sil Heo and Alvin David placed 9th and 10th respectively.

Marianas Baptist Academy was the top overall team for the seventh year in a row. The remaining top five teams were Mount Carmel School ‘A’ Team, Saipan Community School ‘A’ Team, Calvary Christian Academy ‘A’ Team, and Grade Christian Academy ‘B’ Team.

Each school will now select eight students to advance to the Commonwealth Championship on March 24. The top four students from the Commonwealth Championship will advance to the National Championship in Washington DC in early May.

CNMI Mathcounts Honorary Chair Efrain F. Camacho noted that the higher scores and the increased interest among students were indicative of the impact that Mathcounts and other education-related programs have on students.

He called for local companies’ and individuals’ continued support to Mathcounts, citing the benefits that they may reap from educational programs like this to the students’ preparation as eventual part of the labor pool.

Mr. Camacho also stressed the importance of parents taking a more active role in their children’s education. He is encouraging parents to visit schools and volunteer for programs like Mathcounts so that they can see first hand how children are performing.

CNMI Mathcounts is administered by EFC Engineers & Architects with the support of the US National Society of Professional Engineers.

The program thanks sponsors that include Chong’s Corp., Continental Micronesia, Deloitte and Touche, DFS Saipan, EFC Engineers & Architects, Marianas Cable Vision, L&T Group of Companies, IT&E, No Ka Oi, Saipan Shipping, TransAmerica Corp., and Western Equipment.

Refreshments during the competition were provided by Herman’s Bakery and the Coca Cola Beverage Company. The Saipan Grand Hotel also assisted the program by providing an excellent venue for the competition.

The program is still in need of additional funds and volunteers for this year. Those who are interested to lend a hand are asked to contact CNMI Mathcounts at 322-7814.