On Feb. 8, approximately 200 middle school students from 22 Lehigh Valley schools and three counties participated in the 42nd annual MATHCOUNTS® regional competition held at Eyer Middle School.

The Lehigh Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers sponsored the event.

MATHCOUNTS® is a national math coaching and competition program for students in grades 6-8. This collaboration of educational, business and technological communities has impacted millions of students throughout its 40-year history. The program “promotes interest and ability in math by making math excellence as challenging, exciting and prestigious as achievement in sports.”

Coaches and their students began preparation for this “Olympics of Math” event last fall. Students have to be prepared to answer questions involving basic arithmetic, logic, probability, statistics, linear algebra, polynomials and number series.

In January, coaches administer in-school competitions to identify their teams. The regional competition determines the winning team, as well as the four highest ranking individuals from the countdown round and the top two highest individuals who were not part of the winning team.

Six to eight students will compete at the state level competition held March 22 in Harrisburg. The top students from Pennsylvania will compete in Washington, D.C. May 11-12 for national honors.

Raytheon Corporation is the title sponsor of the national event that will draw 30,000 students representing more than 5,500 schools.

MATHCOUNTS® Coordinator Kevin T. Campbell addressed the audience telling them the engineering profession “needs more engineers” and if they choose to become an engineer, “they will always have a job.” Campbell is president and CEO of Barry Isett & Associates which is a multidisciplinary engineering company located in Allentown and other areas.

Campbell noted the importance of mathematics in our world today. A part of MATHCOUNTS® since its inception, Campbell continues to encourage the nation’s youth to help them realize the significance of mathematics in all aspects of life. Campbell took the time to thank the coaches, parents, society members, volunteers, contributors and especially the participants, for continuing to demonstrate how important math is to our futures.

Participants began with the sprint round which is a 40-minute test where students answer 30 math problems without a calculator. After a short break, participants proceeded with the target round, a problem-solving round testing students’ mathematical reasoning. Students were given four pairs of problems to solve and six minutes to complete each pair. Calculators were permitted in this segment of the competition. This lasted 40 minutes with a short break that followed.

The team round included four individuals who worked together to solve 10 problems in 20 minutes. While top scores were determined, students enjoyed lunch.

Campbell recognized Vice-President of LVPSPE Alexa Rooney and volunteer Cheryl Rishcoff who are engineers. He stressed the importance of engaging more young women into the professional engineering field.

The countdown round was moderated by LVPSPE past-president Al Dezubay. No calculators were permitted and students had 45 seconds to complete complex math problems in front of an intense audience. It was impressive to watch these middle schoolers attempt these problems in this format.

In random order, the Top 10 students selected for the countdown round were: Helen Si (Springhouse Middle School), Jackson Andrioli (East Hills Middle School), Silas DeCamp (Easton Area Middle School), Aanya Agrawal (Southern Lehigh Middle School), Vihaan Ro (Springhouse Middle School), Andy Xie (Southern Lehigh Middle School), Wesley Luo (Springhouse Middle School), Caleb Yu (Eyer Middle School), Aryash Shyam (Lehigh Valley Academy Regional School) and Max Yang (Springhouse Middle School).

Luo answered the final three questions correctly in the last round and was recognized as the MATHCOUNTS® regional champion.

The top female scorers in this competition were Si, Aayana Agrawal of Southern Lehigh Middle School and Rebecca Wilks of Eyer Middle School. In addition to Wilks being recognized, the Eyer Middle School team earned the award for most-improved team.

Competing for the first time and as the competition’s first charter school entry, the Lehigh Valley Academy Regional School earned the Rookie Team Award and the Honorable Mention Award. Moravian Academy earned top honors for the Small/Private School Award. The Top 10 students were recognized with awards:

1. Wesley Luo, Springhouse Middle School, Coach Kevin Hallman

2. Max Yang, Springhouse Middle School, Coach Kevin Hallman

3. Helen Si, Springhouse Middle School, Coach Kevin Hallman

4. Aayana Agrawal, Southern Lehigh Middle School, Coaches Charu Chaturvedi and Ella Scheinler

5. Jackson Andreoli, East Hills Middle School, Coaches Shawn Collier and Sophia Dubrovskaya

6. Vihaan Rao, Springhouse Middle School, Coach Kevin Hallman

7. Caleb Yu, Eyer Middle School, Coach Julie Hummell

8. Andy Xie, Southern Lehigh Middle School, Coaches Charu Chaturvedi and Ella Scheinler

9. Silas DeCamp, Easton Area Middle School, Coaches Eric Adams and Zoe Boekelheide

10. Aryash Shyam, Lehigh Valley Academy Regional School, Coaches Kerry Go and Charles Raeford

The Top Scoring Schools include:

1. Springhouse Middle School, Parkland School District, Coach Kevin Hallman

2. Eyer Middle School, East Penn School District, Coach Julie Hummell

3. Southern Lehigh Middle School, Southern Lehigh School District, Coaches Charu Chaturvedi and Ella Scheinler

4. Easton Area Middle School, Easton Area School District, Coaches Eric Adams and Zoe Boekelheide

5. Lehigh Valley Academy Regional School, Allentown School District, Coaches Kerry Go and Charles Raeford

6. Saucon Valley Middle School, Saucon Valley School District, Coach Amanda Holveck

Students participating at the state level competition in Harrisburg March 22 will include:

1. Helen Si, Springhouse Middle School

2. Wesley Luo, Springhouse Middle School

3. Vihaan Rao, Springhouse Middle School

4. Max Yang, Springhouse Middle School

5. Evan Chen, Springhouse Middle School

6. Aanya Agrawal, Southern Lehigh Middle School

7. Jackson Andreoli, East Hills Middle School

Prizes awarded included scholarships for math and/or science courses at Cedar Crest College, Moravian University, Lafayette College, Lehigh Carbon Community College and Northampton College. MATHCOUNTS® was established in 1983 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Insurance. One of its main objectives is to provide students with a foundation for success in science, technology, engineering or mathematics careers.