Finley Students Welcome Math Challenges

Ambitious seventh and eighth graders at J. Taylor Finley Middle School are welcoming the myriad of challenges that come with participating in the Mathcounts and Mathletes co-curricular programs.

Mathcounts, commonly referred to as MATHCOUNTS, is a nationwide middle school level math competition. Its stated mission is to “inspire excellence, confidence and curiosity in middle school students through fun and challenging math problems.”

Topics typically covered include geometry, counting, probability, number theory and algebra. The Mathcounts Foundation was established in 1983 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Insurance.

Finley students tryout for the school’s MATHCOUNTS team in late October in the form of a test. All seventh and eighth graders are eligible to team membership. The top six scoring students make the squad.

This year’s team includes seventh graders Jacob Boxer and Henry Schmid and eighth graders Julian Canales, Piper Davis, Eric Heinz and Leila O’Toole. Faculty advisors include Elizabeth Grobe and Denise Grodzicki. The team meets once a week from 3-4 p.m.

“We have a very strong team this year and we can’t wait for the Long Island competition in early February, where we will compete against other MATHCOUNTS teams from Suffolk and Nassau,” Mrs. Grodzicki said.

Mathletes 7 & Mathletes 8

Mathletes is a competitive academic team that is open to all seventh and eighth graders. The goal of Mathletes is to promote enthusiasm for mathematical learning, expose students to new problem solving techniques and to build mathematical confidence.

This year, Finley’s Mathletes will be participating in the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools. MOEMS is a non-profit corporation which provides opportunities for children to engage in creative problem solving activities while developing a child’s ability to reason, to be logical, and to be resourceful.

Finley’s Mathletes participate in monthly competitions. The group meets every Tuesday from 3:00-3:30 p.m. for practice sessions. Math teacher Melanie DeMarco and Mrs. Grodzicki are the two faculty advisors.