Math wizards gear up for island-wide competition

The 7th annual CNMI Mathcounts Commonwealth Championship Competition will be held on Saturday at the Saipan Grand Hotel Seaside Hall from 8am to 12noon.

The Awards Banquet will be held immediately following the Countdown Round. The exciting Countdown Round is when the top four individuals with the best scores from the morning Sprint and Target Rounds will be announced. These students will advance to the National Championship in Washington DC in early May.

Mathcounts is a national program that tries to get students interested in math by posing fun and interesting questions. It also allows students to work as a team to sharpen their analytical abilities.

The morning competition is divided into three different rounds. The first round is the “Sprint Round” which poses 30 difficult questions that must be answered within 40 minutes. The second round is the “Target Round.”

There are eight questions In the target Round. The students are given two questions at a time and are allowed six minutes to answer each pair of questions.

The Target Round is followed by the “Team Round” in which students compete in teams of four and work together to solve 10 problems in 20 minutes. Students are allowed to use calculators in the Target and Team Rounds.

Approximately eighty junior high school students are expected to test their math skills in this year’s Commonwealth Championship.

The eligible schools from this year’s competition include: Calvary Christian Academy, Eskuela San Francisco De Borja, Eucon International School, Hopwood Junior High School, Grace Christian Academy, Marianas Baptist Academy, Mount Carmel School, Rota Junior High School, Saipan Community School, Saipan International School and Tinian Junior High School.

The Efrain F. Camacho Engineer & Architects sponsors and coordinates the CNMI program under the direction of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Thus far, for the 2000/2001 school year, several local sponsors and volunteer groups have come forward to assist the program including; Chong’s Corporation, Continental Micronesia, Deloitte & Touche, DFS Saipan Ltd., EFC Engineers & Architects, Marianas Cablevision, L&T Group of Companies, IT&E, No Ka Oi, Saipan Shipping, TransAmerica Corp., and Western Equipment. In addition, refreshments were provided by Herman’s Bakery and the Coca Cola Beverage Company.