Rancho San Joaquin Middle School’s MathCounts team won first place at the Southern California State Competition! The competition includes schools from nine different Southern California counties.
MathCounts is an academic enrichment program that encourages middle school students of all ability levels to find their own path to math success. Established in 1983 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and others, MathCounts’ goal is to increase middle school interest in mathematics. Students who participate build confidence and improve attitudes about math and problem-solving.
Guided by Rancho math teacher, Liz Gastelum, the winning team included:
- Mark Kao
- Suin Kim
- Daniel Moon
- Steve Zhao
Special recognition to Suin Kim for an outstanding performance, placing First Overall in the individual competition and Third Place in the Countdown Round.
MathCounts curriculum is offered to students as either an elective or through after-school practice. Students have the opportunity to compete in a series of competitions, starting at the school site level, and can then advance to regional, state, and even national levels.
There are four different rounds that make up a competition. The first is the sprint round, which focuses on speed and accuracy. Second is a target round that requires problem-solving and mathematical reasoning. Third is a team round, which tests students’ skills on collaborative math group work, and finally, the fourth round is complete with a countdown round that focuses on speed and accuracy.
Congratulations to these incredible mathletes!