State Team: Michael Scheetz, David Wang, Widya Adidharma, and Kaiser Mock

Gillette Captures State MATHCOUNTS Competition at UW

May 10, 2006 Michael Scheetz, a 7th grade student at Gillette's Twin Spruce Junior High School, won first place and led his team to the state championship at the recent state MATHCOUNTS competition held at the University of Wyoming.

Scheetz, coached by Peggy Whittlesey, claimed the number one spot among 60 competitors from throughout the state and received a scholarship to attend the UW College of Engineering. Twin Spruce was the top team among 13 schools entered in the competition.

Other individual winners, all 8th graders, were David Wang, McCormick Junior High School, Cheyenne, second; Widya Adidharma, Laramie Junior High School, third; and Kaiser Mock, also from Gillette's Twin Spruce Junior High School, fourth. The top four individual winners earned the opportunity to represent Wyoming at the National MATHCOUNTS competition May 11-14 in Arlington, Va.

Second place in the team competition was McCormick Junior High School, coached by Kathleen McKinley and Josiah Stutheit. Laramie Junior High School, coached by Dennis Rimmasch, won third place, and East Junior High School from Rock Springs, coached by Rudy Stevens and Pat Urasky, placed fourth.

Open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, MATHCOUNTS helps students understand how math is important to solve problems in everyday life, says Jerry Hamann, state MATHCOUNTS coordinator and a professor in the UW College of Engineering. He says more than 200 students from 32 schools participated in school and regional competition.

Wyoming state competition sponsors include the Wyoming Society of Professional Engineers and the UW College of Engineering.

Founding sponsors are the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

National sponsors are The Dow Chemical Company Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Lockheed Martin, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NEC Foundation of America, Texas Instruments Incorporated and 3M Foundation.