SBU hosts more than 200 students at MCTM regional math contest

BOLIVAR, Mo. — About 260 students from southwest Missouri elementary and intermediate schools gathered at Southwest Baptist University on April 8 for the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) Southwest Regional Competition hosted by the SBU Department of Mathematics.

Of the 260 competitors, 38 students qualified for the state competition on May 4 at Columbia College. There was a total of six regional competitions where the top 10 students in each grade level (by individual totals) and the top sweepstakes team qualified to attend the state competition on May 4 at Columbia College.

“Thank you for all the time and effort you put into all of these kids,” said a teacher from Sweeny Elementary in Republic. “It is much appreciated.”

To qualify for the regional competition, Missouri students must have participated in an elementary qualifying round during the school year and completed one of the following:

Earn at least 50 percent of the available points on any of the individual tests.
Score strictly higher than 80 percent of the participants in his or her grade on any of the individual tests.
Participate on a team that scores either at least 50 percent of the available points or strictly higher than 80 percent of the other teams on the team test.

Schools that had students advance to the state competition included: Cedar Ridge Intermediate, Central (Springfield) Scholars, David Harrison Elementary, Greenwood Laboratory School, High Pointe Elementary, Holy Family Homeschoolers, McBride Elementary, McCulloch Elementary, New Covenant Academy, Ozark West Elementary, Rolla Middle School, Rountree Elementary, Sweeny Elementary, The Summit Preparatory School of Southwest Missouri, Wanda Gray Elementary and Wilson’s Creek Intermediate.

“Hosting around 260 for a math contest on Saturday can be stressful, but it is always gratifying,” said Dr. Kevin Hopkins, professor and chair of the SBU Department of Mathematics. “It is great to see that many kids excited about mathematics. It is encouraging to see the care the many teachers have taken to prepare their students to come participate. It is a great opportunity for our students to help out in service to the mathematical community and get to interact with teachers in the area during the grading time.”

The competition field included fourth- through sixth-grade students from participating schools: Academy of Exploration, Buchanan Intermediate, Carl Junction Intermediate, Cecil Floyd Elementary, Cedar Ridge Intermediate, Central (Springfield) Scholars, Clever Elemiddle, David Harrison Elementary, Disney Elementary, George Washington Carver Elementary, Glenwood Elementary, Greenwood Laboratory School, High Pointe Elementary, Holy Family Homeschoolers, Immaculate Conception, John Thomas School of Discovery, Kirbyville Middle School, Logan-Rogersville Elementary, LW James Elementary, Lyon Elementary, Marshfield Elementary, McBride Elementary, McCulloch Elementary, Neosho Middle School, New Covenant Academy, Ozark West Elementary, Price Elementary, Rolla Middle School, Rountree Elementary, St. Agnes (Springfield) Elementary, Summit Intermediate, Sunshine Elementary, Sweeny Elementary, The Summit Preparatory School, Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, Trinity Lutheran School, Wanda Gray Elementary, West Plains Middle School, Wheaton Elementary, Wilder Elementary, Willard Intermediate and Wilson’s Creek Intermediate.

To learn more about the contests and camps, please contact Hopkins at (417) 328-1675 or khopkins@SBUniv.edu.

For more information about Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics contests, visit https://www.moctm.org/mctm-math-contest.html.

*Published: 4-16-19