Pellissippi State names winners in regional middle school math competition

May 16, 2007

Pellissippi State names winners in regional middle school math competition

Square roots, integers, fractions and multipliers were the order of the day April 27, as middle-schoolers who knew their numbers participated in the fifth annual Tennessee Middle School Mathematics Competition.

A total of 320 students from 20 middle schools throughout Knox and Anderson counties participated.

The competition was hosted by Pellissippi State Technical Community College’s Mathematics Department and funded by the Pellissippi State Foundation, thanks to a donation from Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Five other colleges in Tennessee support a similar event; however, the Pellissippi State Middle School Mathematics Competition is the largest.

“The idea was just to have an encouraging competition for middle school students,” said Jonathan Lamb, associate professor of math and principal organizer of the competition.

“Oftentimes it’s about the middle school age when students start to get turned away from mathematics, so we wanted to have a competition to encourage them. Also, it’s a rewards day where they can come in, compete and have fun. Fun is definitely the main idea for the day.”

The competition is designed for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students in the East Tennessee region who excel in mathematics.

The contest tool is a multiple-choice exam designed by college math professors from Pellissippi State, Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Walters State Community College.

Contestants compete at their grade level if it’s different from that of the math class in which they are enrolled. Students were permitted to use calculators, including graphing calculators, on the exam.

Trophies and gift cards were awarded to the top five students at each grade level. Here are the top 10 students in each grade and their schools (listed with scores from highest to lowest):

Eighth Grade: Jack Li, Jefferson; Leon Zhang, Jefferson; Patrick Tae, Robertsville; Edward Ko, Farragut; Carly Wingfield, South Doyle; Andrew Hanson, Farragut; Mattie Lloyd, Jefferson; Kaitlin Darby, Halls; Tandy Carmicheal, Karns; Yajit Jain, Robertsville

Seventh Grade: Rob Jones, West Valley; Emily McLean, Jefferson; Demetri Bovopoulos, Bearden; Christopher Brittain, Jefferson; Jerry Feng, Farragut; Derek Xu, Farragut; Madison Stott, Bearden; Julie Davenport, First Lutheran; Jun Hyoung Gil, West Valley; Josh Smith, West Valley; Sarah Beth Maddox, Karns

Sixth Grade: Jason Xiong, Farragut; Sam Shadwell, Greenway; Richard Sholly, St. Joseph; Jim Andress, Jefferson; Timothy Blackwell, Greenway; Chris Buckman, Farragut; Brett Fries, Bearden; Adam Becklehimer, Jefferson; Hannah Feiten, Farragut; Carter Chain and Alex Selwitz, Farragut (tied score).

The top five schools in each grade, from first to fifth place:

Eighth Grade: Jefferson, Robertsville, Farragut, Halls, West Valley

Seventh Grade: Jefferson, West Valley, Bearden, Farragut, Robertsville

Sixth Grade: Farragut, Greenway, Jefferson, Bearden, Karns

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Contact Information:
Julia Wood
Marketing and Communications Director
Pellissippi State Technical Community College
10915 Hardin Valley Road
Knoxville, TN 37933-0990
Phone: (865) 694-6405
Fax: (865) 539-7088
E-mail: jwood@pstcc.edu