Local students to compete for state math championship

Students from area schools will compete in the MathCounts State Championship March 15-16. There will be 126 students from 44 schools from all over the state vying for the state title at the Crown Plaza Conference Center in Plym¬outh, Minn. The top four scorers will represent Minnesota in the National MathCounts Finals in Washington, D.C., in May. The students won the right to participate in the state meet by winning regional competitions in February.

Their names and team placement from the Arrowhead Chapter meet on Feb. 12 are:

First place, Esko Junior High – Karl Habig, Cam Schultz, Reid Davidson and Ben Fischer, coached by Jeremy Weaver .

Second place, Hermantown Middle School – Keira Salo, Kevin Harris, Sydney Kanuit and Nathan Bich, coached by Paul Sohlstrom.

Also attending will be individuals who qualified by being among the top individual scorers at the regional meet:

John Borland, Hibbing High School, coached by Lynn Wiitala; and Alec Norrgard and Joseph Obeibzinski , Cloquet Middle School, coached by Arnie Maijala.

MathCounts is a national coaching and competition program that promotes math achievement by sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students. The program stimulates student interest by making math achievement as challenging, exciting, and pres¬tigious as school sports. In Minnesota the program is coordinated by volunteer members of the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers, who work closely with teachers.

This is the 30th year that nonprofit MathCounts has been promoting math skills in the state.

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