NEW JERSEY

NEW JERSEY STUDENT TEAM TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL MATHEMATICS FINALS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

March 14, 2000, Trenton, NJ—A team of four New Jersey 7^th and 8^th grade “mathletes” and their coach will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals of the MATHCOUNTS program on May 11, 2000.  The students participated in the MATHCOUNTS State Competition on March 11 at the Bell Atlantic Corporate Training Center: 

The students were the top scorers in the recent state MATHCOUNTS competition held at the Bell Atlantic Corporate Training Center in South Plainfield, NJ.  Each member has competed in regional and statewide tournaments to earn top honors and the trip to Washington, D.C.  They competed in both written and oral exams in subjects such as probability, statistics, linear algebra, and polynomials.  In Washington they will compete as a team and individually to win trips and scholarships.  At the national contest there will be teams from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the US territories, and the US Defense Department and State Department schools.

MATHCOUNTS, which combines math coaching and competition, is designed to answer the problem of poor and declining math skills among American school children.  Sponsors target junior high school because it is recognized as a critical stage in student interest and ability in mathematics.  Sponsors of the program provide specifically prepared coaching materials free to participating schools. Approximately 2,500 students throughout the state have been involved in the program this year.

In New Jersey, MATHCOUNTS is sponsored by the NJSPE Educational Foundation and the following: Allied Signal Inc.; National Starch & Chemical Company; CPC International Inc.; Atlantic Energy; PSE&G; ADP; GPU Energy; Professional Engineers in Construction; Union County Chapter - NJSPE; Bell Atlantic-New Jersey; Saul Seltzer Construction Corp.; Conair Corp.; Thomas J. Sharp & Associates, Inc.; Frank H. Lehr Associates; Bracco Diagnostics Inc.; L-C Associates; Raritan Valley Chapter - NJSPE; Consulting Engineers Services; Northeast Solite Corporation; Arora & Associates, Public Strategies Impact/LLC; PESMC; BGFMA; Karl Koch Erections; EPS Inc.;  WJE;  Evans East;  DW Smith Associates, PA; Parsons Brinckerhoff; Urban Engineering, Inc.; SCHOOR DEPALMA INC; New Jersey Galvanizing & Tinning Works, Inc.; AmerCom Corp.;  MRI; Cherry Valley Country Club; Remington & Vernick Engineers; Seven Seas Engineering Services, PA; Princeton Motorsport; and  Luis Frey.