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Monongalia County's (WV) best brains crunch numbers at Math Field Day
The Dominion Post ^ | 12-18-2003 | JENNIFER SCOTT-HEASLIP

Posted on 12/18/2003 10:38:43 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666

County students compete for spots at regional contest


North Elementray fifth-grader Stephanie Hao (top) concentrates on a written math test during Elementary Math Field Day Wednesday morning in the WVU Mountainlair ballrooms. Hao placed third out of 20 fifth-graders and will compete in the regional Math Field Day competition in Bridgeport on March 6, 2004. Suncrest Middle sixth-grade teacher Sarah Corder (above, left) answers a question for Alliance Christian Schools sixth-grader Zach Evans during Elementary Math Field Day Wednesday morning.

Ron Rittenhouse/The Dominion Post Photos

BY JENNIFER SCOTT-HEASLIP

The Dominion Post

Nearly 200 students had a field day with numbers at the WVU Mountainlair this week.

Monongalia County Math Field Day competitions for grades 4-6 and 7-9 were Wednesday, and senior high Math Field Day for grades 10-12 was Tuesday.

About 180 students, 20 from each grade, took the written and "mental" math tests. Mental math consists of problems briefly flashed on a screen and then removed, requiring the student to make quicker decisions.

Students qualified for the competition by winning school contests, and competed against their grade-level peers for the top five spots at the county Math Field Day competition.

"Congratulations on being here," Sandra DeVault, Mon schools coordinator of elementary and secondary education, told the middle school participants as they settled in for the first round of testing Wednesday afternoon. "I know each and every one of you have worked hard to get here and represent your school."

First- to third-place winners at each grade level got trophies and qualified for the Regional Math Field Day competition on March 6 in Bridgeport. Fourth- and fifth-place winners will serve as alternates and received plaques.

"They worked very hard. They were very intense," DeVault said. "As their parents entered, they said, 'boy, it was hard."

Suncrest Middle sixth-grader Jonathan Hensel agreed the test was difficult, although he won first place at his grade level.

"I thought I did pretty well. I was just hoping I would win," he said. "If I go into something, I want to try my best."

His father, Peter Hensel, sat in the 'Lair ballrooms Wednesday morning and watched as his son accepted his second Math Field Day award. Jonathan also placed as a fourth-grader.

"I was hoping he might get an award," Peter Hensel said. "He's always been good with math. I'm very proud."

Jonathan's knack for math runs in the family. His mother, Robin Hensel, is a math professor at Salem International University, and helped him practice at home.

North Elementary fifth-grader Stephanie Hao placed third at her grade level.

"It feels great. I was nervous because I thought I wouldn't make it because I thought I got a lot wrong," she said. "It was a hard test."

Middle school students filed into the ballrooms for the afternoon round of testing after the elementary level awards were announced. Suncrest seventh-graders Alex Jones and Matthew Zitney sat at neighboring tables and tried to relax.

"I just go over things in my mind," Jones said. "We just want one of us to get first place.

"I think we're gonna do well," Zitney said.

They did. Zitney won the first place trophy for the seventh grade, and Jones placed fourth.

The elementary and middle Math Field Day was rescheduled from Monday after school was canceled due to snow. This is the first year a competition has been rescheduled, said DeVault, who has been involved with Math Field Day for about 12 years. Most students made it to the competitions on Tuesday and Wednesday, however.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: education; math; testing; westvirginia
This is how education should be, competitive, the smartest students win, honors for being among the best, "it was hard"!
1 posted on 12/18/2003 10:38:43 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666
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To: the_devils_advocate_666
What? It wasn't the Robert C. Byrd Math Field Day?????
2 posted on 12/18/2003 10:40:28 AM PST by samanella ((Proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy))
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To: the_devils_advocate_666
Here's one of the questions for high school students on the 2001 test:

Solve for x: 7xx – 7x! + 7x2 + 265 = 2001

3 posted on 12/18/2003 11:12:27 AM PST by LibWhacker
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To: the_devils_advocate_666
Looks like a lot of cipherin' going on in WV.
4 posted on 12/18/2003 11:14:23 AM PST by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
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To: Bosco
Yep, you'd never get away with this in CA or NY. Well, not unless there were different tests based on your race, gender, religion, native language, and sexual preference.
5 posted on 12/18/2003 11:23:49 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666
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