February 15, 2023
Coaches normally stalk the sidelines during a competition. They send in plays, call timeouts, change strategies, encourage players, and remain engaged throughout the contest. Not so for teachers who coach their students for MathCounts, a national middle school competition focused on mathematical problem solving.
“On the day of the event, the kids just walk into a large room and the door is closed behind them,” says Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS) math instructor Scott Diedrich. “When the contest starts, my job is done. All I can do is wait.”
On Saturday, February 4th at Castleton University, Diedrich’s time alone was well spent. Two MEMS students, Miles Vernon and Perry Sexter, finished second and third in the MathCounts individual competition for Vermont’s Southwest Region: Bennington, Rutland and Addison Counties.
But the good news keeps adding up. When scores for Sam Nicholson and Thira Roberts were included, MEMS captured first place in the four-person team competition. “When I heard that Miles and Perry were both in the top three, I realized that our team might win,” says Thira, thinking mathematically. “It was exciting to finish first.”
The reward for the MEMS math quartet will be a trip to the Vermont State Mathcounts Tournament next month at Vermont Tech in Randolph. Winners from all 50 states will then move on to the National Mathcounts competition held this Spring in Orlando.
The secret to success in MatchCounts is the time invested in preparing for the competition. The MEMS math students started studying for MathCounts last fall. Coach Diedrich held practice sessions twice weekly during lunchtime to get the youngsters ready for the contest.
“We spent time working on advanced algebra and geometry problems,” says Miles. “Things outside our normal classwork, like radical expressions.”
Whatever that means. Maybe something to do with square roots?
“We needed the extra help,”added Perry. “We would have been lost without it.”
One thing the students could not prepare for was the intensity of the tournament. In recent years, MathCounts competition was held online, but returned to an in-person format in 2023. “We were all in the same room, but no one made a sound,” says Sam. “It was scary quiet. At one point I dropped my pencil. I looked up and realized everyone was staring at me. The anxiety level was on high alert.”
All four members of the MEMS Regional MathCounts champions are 7th graders and eligible to compete in 2024. Will the crew be ready to repeat next year? “Yeah!” exclaimed three of the four. All eyes turned towards a silent Perry.
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Dude, we need you”, implored Miles.
“Okay. I’m good.”
