March 15, 2022
Middle school students from Central Valley, Finley-Sharon, Hatton, Hope-Page, Larimore, May-Port CG, Northwood, and Thompson public schools attended a math meet hosted by the Mayville State mathematics department Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Seventh- and eighth-graders participated in individual and team competitions throughout the morning, had lunch, and wrapped the event up with an awards ceremony in the early afternoon.
Hatton’s Team Thunder was the team winner with a score of 331. Members of the team were Drew Iverson, Aiden Johnson, Cooper Handly, and Rylan Wamstad. Team Thunder was coached by Joel Foss.
Team runners-up were the Valiants of Central Valley with a score of 251. Team members Caleb Kloster, Ryan Sundby, Paityn Olson, and Grace Ellingson were coached by Brad Nelson.
The Polar “Coordinate” Bears from Larimore took third place in the team competition with a score of 238. Members of the team were Katelyn Aamodt, Kenlie Nelson, Tucker Stover, and Max Hoverson. They were coached by Ben Jacobson.
Teams also participated in an interactive game of Kahoot!. Hatton took first place honors with 26,857 points, followed by Finley-Sharon with 24,032 points. Hope-Page took third place with 23,944 points.
In individual competitions, the top eighth-grader was Cooper Handley from Hatton with a score of 74. Second place eighth-grader was Jacob McClenahen from May-Port CG with 70 points. Kiaza Carlson from Finley Sharon came in third with 66 points.
The top seventh-grader was Katelyn Aamodt from Larimore with 69 points. Kenlie Nelson from Larimore was second with 66 points, and third place was won by Drew Iverson of Hatton with 65 points.
The finale for the day was an awards ceremony complete with prizes. As an added treat, the math meet participants and coaches were greeted by North Dakota University System Chancellor Dr. Mark Hagerott, who was visiting the Mayville State campus on March 8. Chancellor Hagerott encouraged the young mathematicians to continue to pursue their interests in mathematics, a very important knowledge area.
Coaches who accompanied their students to the math meet were Brad Nelson, Central Valley; Sarah Scheitel, Finley-Sharon; Joel Foss, Hatton; Alex Holen, Hope-Page; Ben Jacobson, Larimore; Jessica Ogburn, May-Port CG; Connor Weber, Northwood; and Brandy George, Thompson.
The math meet was coordinated by Mayville State University faculty members Taylor Simon, Instructor of Mathematics; Fred Strand, Associate Professor of Mathematics; and Mary Townsend, Associate Professor of Mathematics. They were assisted by Mayville State Math Club members and students currently enrolled in mathematics classes.
“We are thrilled to offer events such as this for area K-12 students,” said Mayville State University President Dr. Brian Van Horn. “It is our privilege to give young people the opportunity to test their skills and expand their knowledge in academic interest areas. Mathematics is a critical need area in our state, so a math meet is an especially appropriate activity. Thank you to our Division of Science and Mathematics faculty and students and members of the Math Club for their leadership and work that made it happen, and to the students, coaches, and school administrators who paved the way so the seventh- and eighth-graders could participate.”
Photo caption: North Dakota University System Chancellor Dr. Mark Hagerott took part in the middle school math meet awards ceremony at Mayville State on March 8, 2022. Chancellor Hagerott encouraged the seventh- and eighth-graders to continue to pursue their interest in math.