HACIENDA HEIGHTS, CA - VARIOUS SCHOOLS FROM A NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY (FROM MONTEREY PARK TO ALTA LOMA) GATHERED AT MESA ROBLES MIDDLE SCHOOL IN HACIENDA HEIGHTS ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2000 TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CHAPTER MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION.

THE MATHCOUNTS PROGRAM IS A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO CHALLENGE AND STIMULATE STUDENT INTEREST IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL / JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. THE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF "COACHING" SESSIONS AND SEVERAL LEVELS OF COMPETITION. THE NATIONAL PROGRAM IS ADMINISTERED BY THE MATHCOUNTS FOUNDATION AND SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS (NCTM), NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (NSPE), NASA, AND MANY LARGE CORPORATIONS.

THE LOCAL COMPETITION WAS ADMINISTERED BY THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CHAPTER OF THE NSPE THAT INCLUDED EMPLOYEES FROM EDISON INTERNATIONAL AND CAL POLY UNIVERSITY AT POMONA. ALSO HELPING CONDUCT THE TESTS AND SCORING WERE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL'S ALPHA OMEGA MATH CLUB - CHARLESTON CHIANG, KHAIRUNISSA JIVANI, EDWARD LEE, AND VIVIAN U.

THE FINAL RESULT OF THE COMPETITION SHOWED THAT SOUTH POINTE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL REPRESENTED THE WALNUT VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT WELL BY FINISHING FOURTH AND SECOND PLACE IN THE TEAM COMPETITION. THE TOP SCHOOL WAS ALVARADO INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL FROM ROWLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE THIRD PLACE FINISH WAS THE HOST SCHOOL, MESA ROBLES MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE HACIENDA-LA PUENTE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH POINTE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM WHO RECEIVED A TROPHY FOR THEIR FOURTH PLACE TEAM FINISH ARE MAX JEN, JEFFREY LAI, RACHELLE LIN, AND JEFFREY WANG.

INDIVIDUAL TROPHIES WENT TO TWO TEAM MEMBERS FROM SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL: ANGELA SUN FOR PLACING FIFTH AND JASON WANG FOR PLACING TENTH. ANGELA AND JASON ALSO RECEIVED A TEAM TROPHY ALONG WITH TEAM MEMBERS DUC DO AND ANTHONY LU FOR THEIR SECOND PLACE STANDING IN THE TEAM COMPETITION.

BECAUSE OF THEIR SECOND PLACE STANDING, THE SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM ADVANCED TO THE STATE COMPETITION THAT WAS HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE ON SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH.

THE STATE COMPETITION WAS "KICKED-OFF" BY A MOTIVATIONAL TALK FROM KNBC’S METEOROLOGIST, CHRISTOPHER NANCE. ALTHOUGH ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING (FROM BAKERSFIELD TO SAN DIEGO) TRIED THEIR BEST, THE FIELD PROVED HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS PLACED WELL ENOUGH TO TAKE HOME ANY PRIZE. SEVERAL MEMBERS OF WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL'S MATH CLUB ALSO VOLUNTEERED TO HELP ADMINISTER THIS EVENT. ALL PARTICIPANTS - THE STUDENTS, TEACHERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PARENTS - ENJOYED THE DAY ENORMOUSLY.