Each year, the NJSPE Education Foundation sponsors the New Jersey MATHCOUNTS Competition. The events begin with interschool competitions consisting of both teams and individuals. The winners of those competitions move on to one of six regional competitions. From Regionals, the winners advance to State and then the National Competitions. The New Jersey team advancing to Nationals consists of the top 4 “Mathletes” in the state and the coach of the winning team.
Overall in 2018, there were 149 schools, 131 teams, and 619 individuals totaling 1,143 students who participated in the program. The 2018 State Competition was held at Rutgers University on March 10, 2018. Volunteers, coaches and parents worked together to ensure the 79 “Mathletes” not only had the tools they needed to compete, but also to connect with likeminded students and to enjoy themselves.
The four Mathletes who represented New Jersey at the National Competition in Washington, DC in May were Eric Young from Community Middle School; Mason Qinyuan Wang from Thomas R. Grover Middle School; Kevin Cong and Daniel Xia both from William Annin Middle School. The National Coach, Tara Bowman, is also from William Annin.
The New Jersey team placed 3rd at the National Competition.
While it takes many volunteers to coordinate the regional and state events, the people listed below are the driving force behind the effort:
Rick Adelsohn, PE, State Scoring Coordinator
Calisto Bertin, PE, Bergen-Hudson Chapter Coordinator
Robert Burdick, PE, Ocean-Burlington Chapter Coordinator
Thomas Fisher, PE, Mercer Chapter Coordinator and Golf Outing Chairperson
Maggie Gutierrez, PE, South Jersey Chapter Coordinator
Christopher Iacono, PE, Mercer Chapter Coordinator
Drew Lillis, PE, State Chairperson
Harry McNally, PE, Middlesex, Union, and Monmouth (MUM) Chapter Coordinator
John Rhodes, PE, North Central Coordinator
Atul Shah, PE, MUM Chapter Coordinator
Vatsal Shah, PE, MUM Chapter Coordinator
John Tardy, PE, MUM Chapter Coordinator
With special recognition going to Alyse Lillis
If you would like details on how to get involved with or how to become a sponsor of MATHCOUNTS, please contact Lisa Jones at LJones@njpsi.com.