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Students from the Dalton School will advance to the state competition in Albany.
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On Saturday, Feb. 4, 136 students and 26 volunteers arrived at Columbia's Mathematics Building to participate in the largest-ever MathCounts Manhattan competition.
Sixth, seventh and eighth-graders from 19 middle schools -- including Salk School of Science, Tompkins Square Middle School and Manhattan Academy of Technology -- gathered for the 16th annual MathCounts Manhattan competition. Students competed individually and as teams in fast-paced written and oral matches. Subjects included algebra, probability, statistics and geometry.
The three winning teams -- Hunter College High School, New York City Lab School and the Dalton School -- will advance to the state competition in Albany. The top four state competitors will advance to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
MathCounts is a national program, begun in 1983, involving more than a million students. It strives motivate students interested in improving their math skills in a friendly club environment. Started in 1990, MathCounts Manhattan has grown to serve approximately 10 percent of the borough's middle schools. This is Columbia's third year hosting the competition.
Terrance Cope, a Mathematics department administrator, says: "The kids love being at Columbia and are just thrilled being at the campus. It's a great pleasure working with them."
The 2006 event ran smoothly with the help of Cope, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) student Jeremy Edmunds, a MathCounts Manhattan coordinator, and several volunteers from the university's math department.
But the group still has much ground to cover to maximize its impact on the education of the city's children. According to Edmunds, other urban areas have MathCounts participation rates approaching 25 percent, which is a long-term goal of MathCounts Manhattan.
Volunteers are needed throughout the year to tutor students, fundraise and staff the competition. For information on helping MathCounts Manhattan grow, contact Jeremy Edmunds @ jse2101@columbia.edu.
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