Counting on Teamwork: MathCounts Results

Valley Springs Middle places second regionally and qualifies to compete at the state level MatchCounts competition!

"Mathletes" from Valley Springs Middle proudly placed second in the regional MathCounts competition.
By: Benjamin Rickert
BCS Communications Department

How fast can you answer this question: How many integer palindromes are between 100 and 700?

Buncombe middle school students put their skills to the test with questions like this, and turned math into a brainy competitive sport during the county and regional MathCounts events. In the end, students had a challenging and fun experience at both events, while Valley Springs Middle’s team placed second regionally and qualified to compete at the state level MathCounts competition in March!

Students competed in three timed rounds over three hours, testing their speed, accuracy, problem-solving, and mathematical reasoning abilities both with and without calculators. Two of the rounds were done individually, followed by a team assessment. In the third round, the ability to collaborate and work well with others was key, as students had 20 minutes to solve 10 math problems in groups of four. A team’s final score was calculated using both individual and team scores.

With strong support from our local Professional Engineers of North Carolina community partner, BCS students have participated in MathCounts competitions since the program’s inception in our area in 1986. 

Buncombe County Schools is very proud fall of our students who competed at both the county and regional MathCounts competitions!

County Competition
The local MathCounts competition was held on Friday, January 26th, and involved 94 students from all BCS middle schools. The top ten individual finishers (in alphabetical not finishing order) were Allana Adams (NBMS, 7th), Jordan Andrews (NBMS, 7th), Griffin Barclay (NBMS, 8th), Ruby Blue (NBMS, 7th), Jonah Catlin (CCMS, 7th), Lucca Ferraz (VSMS, 8th), Olivia Jones (NBMS, 8th), Torin Steciuk (VSMS, 8th), Ansley Whitaker (CCMS, 8th), and Bonnie Zhang (VSMS, 8th).

The First Place team from North Buncombe Middle included Olivia Jones, Ruby Blue, Griffin Barclay, and Aidan Harris. The Second Place team from Valley Springs included Torin Steciuk, Lucca Ferraz, Dane Kappalman, and Cole Rhinehart. There was a tie for Third Place between a second Valley Springs team and Cane Creek Middle. The Valley Springs Team included Bonnie Zhang, Harini Kumar, Ethan Wyper, and Andrew Wyper, whereas the Cane Creek team included Ansley Whitaker, Jonah Catlin, Garrett Swaney, and Aidan Fogleman.

Regional Competition
The regional competition was hosted by T.C. Roberson High on February 4. A team of four students from Valley Springs Middle placed second of 20 teams and qualified for next month’s state level competition. These students (and their individual rankings) included Lucca Ferraz (10), Dane Kappalman (11), Torin Steciuk (12), and Bonnie Zhang (12). For teams that qualify at the state event in the Raleigh area, the MathCounts national championship will be held in Washington, DC on May 13 and 14. Ms. Vimi Mckeithan served as the team’s Teacher Leader.

Several other students placed in the top 25 percent at the regional competition from Cane Creek Middle, North Buncombe Middle, Valley Springs Middle, and Clyde A. Erwin Middle. They include Jonah Catlin (2), Ruby Blue (6), Olivia Jones (9), Allana Adams (16), Kaylee Hall (16), Ansley Whitaker (16), Nisha Das (16), Griffin Barclay (22), Jordan Andrews (22), Lillian Chase (24), Zachary Hutson (24), Cassie Suttles (24), Zane Moore (29), Tyler Gleydura (31), Harini Kumar (31), Floria Apostolovia (44), Ethan Wyper (44), Cole Rhinehart (49), Claire Lim (50) and Drew Wyper (61).

(Note: This information was compiled from multiple sources. Please report any corrections to communications@bcsemail.org.)

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