IN THE MATHCOUNTSâ COMPETITION
DIAMOND BAR/IRVINE, CA - SCHOOLS FROM VARIOUS SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY (FROM MONTEREY PARK TO GLENDORA TO WHITTIER) GATHERED AT SOUTH POINTE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN DIAMOND BAR ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2001, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EAST SAN GABIREL VALLEY CHAPTER MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION.
IN ITS EIGHTEENTH YEAR, THE MATHCOUNTS PROGRAM IS A NATIONWIDE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO CHALLENGE AND STIMULATE STUDENT INTEREST IN MATHEMATICS AT 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 CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (CSPE) AND FOOTHILL SECTION OF THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS (IEEE) AND INCLUDED EMPLOYEES FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON, CAL POLY UNIVERSITY AT POMONA, AND ROCKWELL COLLINS. ALSO HELPING CONDUCT THE TESTS AND SCORING WERE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL'S ALPHA OMEGA MATH CLUB -, DUC DO, KHAIRUNISSA JIVANI, EDWARD LEE, VIVIAN U, AND JASON WANG ALONG WITH CHARLESTON CHIANG, AN ALUMNUS FROM WHS CURRENTLY ATTENDING UCLA.
SOUTH POINTE MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS PRESENTED WITH A SPECIAL RECOGNITION TROPHY FOR HOSTING THE COMPETITION AS WELL AN HONORABLE MENTION TROPHY FOR FINISHING NINTH IN THE COMPETITION. THE EIGHT MATHLETES COMPETING FOR SOUTH POINTE MIDDLE WERE DEBORAH CHOI, JIAN YU FUNG, EMILY LAU, KEVIN STOWERS, JERRY WANG, TIFFANY WU, APRIL YUAN, AND DAVID ZENG
THE OTHER TEAM FROM WVUSD, SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL, FINISHED FOURTH IN THE TEAM COMPETITION FOR WHICH EACH OF THE FOUR TEAM MEMBERS - EVA CHENG, IRENE FAN, MICHAEL LIN, AND JONATHAN LU RECEIVED A TROPHY. THE TOP SCHOOL WAS ALVARADO INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL FROM ROWLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT.
INDIVIDUAL TROPHIES EARNED BY SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS WERE EVA CHENG FOR PLACING SECOND, MATT GUANAWAN FOR PLACING TENTH, AND MICHAEL LIN FOR PLACING 12TH. EVA ALSO RECEIVED A THIRD PLACE TROPHY FOR HEAD-TO-HEAD ORAL COUNTDOWN EVENT WITH MATT RECEIVING AN HONORABLE MENTION FOR HIS NINTH PLACE FINISH IN THE SAME EVENT. OTHER SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO TOOK PART IN THE COMPETITION WERE DENTON LI, JENNIFER TSAI, AND JONATHAN TSENG. ALSO WORTH NOTING IS THAT THE TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS WERE GIRLS - DEFYING THE STATISTIC THAT BOYS ARE BETTER THAN GIRLS IN MATH.
THE FOURTH PLACE STANDING FOR THE SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM TO ADVANCE TO THE STATE COMPETITION. HOWEVER, THREE STUDENTS - EVA CHENG, MATT GUANAWAN, AND MICHAEL LIN, ADVANCED TO THE STATE COMPETITION AS PART OF THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY "ALL-STAR" TEAM.
ON SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2001, THE THREE SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS JOINED NEARLY TWO HUNDRED OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTION OF CALIFORNIA STATE MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE. EVA CHENG AND MICHAEL LIN JOINED KEVIN CHEUNG (GODDARD MIDDLE SCHOOL, GLENDORA) AND JONATHAN LIM (CARDEN SCHOOL, WHITTIER) TO FORM THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TEAM ALL-STARS WHILE MATT GUANAWAN TEAMED WITH THREE STUDENTS FROM ALVARADO MIDDLE SCHOOL - BRIAN JUE, GRACE LIN, AND SABRIAN, LIN - TO FORM THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY INDIVIDUAL ALL-STARS. AGAIN, VOLUNTEERING THEIR SERVICES TO HELP CONDUCT COMPETITION WERE CURRENT AND PAST MEMBERS OF WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL'S ALPHA OMEGA MATH CLUB - CHARLESTON CHIANG, DUC DO, EDWARD LEE, VIVIAN U, AND JASON WANG ALONG WITH JONATHAN LU OF SUZANNE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
ALTHOUGH
ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING TRIED THEIR BEST, THE FIELD PROVED HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
AND FORMIDABLE THUS ONLY A HANDFUL OF SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS PLACED WELL
ENOUGH TO TAKE HOME ANY PRIZE. WHEN THE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE THAT
NONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS DID WELL ENOUGH TO PROCEED TO THE NATIONAL COMPETITION,
A MURMUR OF DISAPPOINTMENT WAS EXPRESSED BY MANY. THE NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
ARE FROM THOSE THAT WERE SIMULTANEOUSLY COMPETING IN THE NORTHERN SECTION
AT UC DAVIS. HOWEVER, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THIS HIGHLY COMPETETITVE
EVENT WILL BE REMEMBERED BY ALL. ALL PARTICIPANTS - THE STUDENTS, TEACHERS,
VOLUNTEERS, AND PARENTS - ENJOYED THE DAY ENORMOUSLY.
Suzanne
Middle School Mathcounts Teams
Suzanne
Middle School Mathletes enjoying
Suzanne
Middle School Mathcounts Teams holding their trophies
East San Gabriel
Valley "All-Stars" and volunteers
Assemble at Suzanne
Middle School before
the competition along with some volunteers.
their pizza lunch during the competition.
at the State Competition - UC Irvine Bren Events Center