On February 12,
2005, the MathCounts Oahu Chapter Competition saw its biggest turnout yet in
its 22nd year in Hawaii. There were 34 Oahu schools competing for the
distinguished Team Trophy. The Kamehameha Schools Kalama Dining Hall was just
about overflowing with 236 Mathletes burning their pencil leads to solve 48
math problems in the three rounds of the competition. When the smoke cleared
the top team was Iolani School followed closely by Punahou School with Kaimuki
Middle School in third place, Moanalua Middle School fourth, Kamehameha School
fifth, and Highlands Intermediate School sixth. These six schools earned the
honor to move on to the Hawaii State MathCounts Competition on March 12, 2005
at Kamehameha Schools to see which Mathletes will represent Hawaii at the May
5-8, 2005 MathCounts National Competition in Detroit.
In the individual
written part of the competition, the Sprint and Target Rounds, the top
individual was Timothy Meyer of Kaimuki Middle School. His teammate, Dong-Yeop
Shin was second, followed by Kent Kobayashi of Punahou, and William Chambers of
Iolani. Iolani had all four team members place in the top 10, thus taking the
Team first place award. In the final Countdown Round, first place went to Kent
Kobayashi and second to William Chambers.
The Countdown Round
is a fast-paced, oral competition for the 12 top-scoring individuals of the
Sprint and Target Rounds. Pairs of Mathletes compete against each other and the
clock to solve problems. Calculators are not permitted. The audience is always
amazed at the speed these Mathletes can solve the problems.
MathCounts is a
national enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school
mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and
territory. It is one of the country’s largest and most successful education
partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students.
President George W. Bush and former Presidents Clinton, Bush and Reagan have
all recognized MathCounts in White House ceremonies. Mathletes were featured in
ESPN broadcasts of the 2003 and 2004 National Competitions.
The MathCounts
Steering Committee know with 236 Mathletes competing lots of volunteers are
needed to proctor and score the competition. Much gratitude is given to the 87
plus volunteers from organizations such as Hawaiian Electric Company, the US
Army Corps of Engineers, SSFM International, the American Society of Civil
Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Leeward
Community College students of Ron Flegal.
At the end of the
event, the award presenters included Dr. Michael Chun, President &
Headmaster, Kamehameha Schools; Clayton Fujie, Deputy Superintendent, DOE;
Sister John Joseph Gilligan, Deputy Superintendent for Special Affairs, Hawaii
Catholic Schools; and Nathan Yuen, Vice President, Hawaii Society of
Professional Engineers (HSPE) Honolulu Chapter. The Masters of Ceremony was
Scott Seu of HSPE.
The Hawaii Society
of Professional Engineers sponsors MathCounts and its major industry sponsors
are Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Electric Company.