Area Middle Schools Test Their “Math Moxie”

1st place team winners in the 2014 Marion Middle School Math Challenge from Highland Middle School: Caleb Dodds, Sarah Cooley, Andy Cooley, Autumn Parsons, Gavin Kafka, and Sophia Thompson

On Friday, May 16, 2014, 228 students from 8 north central Ohio middle schools participated in the 3rd Annual Marion Middle School Math Challenge, hosted by Marion Technical College and The Ohio State University at Marion in Morrill Hall Auditorium on the Marion Campus.

The Marion Middle School Mathematics Challenge is a rigorous on-line math competition for students in grades 6-8.  The participating schools were Cardington, Elgin, Grant, Highland, North Union, Pleasant, Ridgedale, and River Valley.  The top three students at each grade level, 6-8 received a trophy and a scholarship to attend Ohio State Marion.  There is also a team competition, which takes the top six scores from each school and adds them together.  The top three schools in the team competition receive a trophy, and the team members each receive a medal.

Presenting awards were Marion Technical College Tech Prep Consultant Dave Gorenflo, Marion Technical College Developmental Mathematics Coordinator Kelley Harding, Ohio State Marion Director of Enrollment Management Matt Moreau.  Moreau and Harding were assisted by Math Challenge committee member John Scott from Ridgedale and Ridgedale freshman Evan Hunsicker, who earned a perfect score on last year’s test.

In addition to the trophies presented at the event for both individual and team winners, The Ohio State University at Marion awarded a grand total of $11,250 in scholarships to individual winners in each grade category who choose to attend Ohio State Marion.

Presenter for this year’s challenge was Matt Farson, an engineering technologies faculty member from Marion Technical College.

Two 8th grade students, Grayson Plotner from North Union and Andy Cooley from Highland earned perfect scores of 40 out of 40 on the test.

Below is a list of this year’s winners.

INDIVIDUAL WINNERS

6th Grade Winners

1st Place – Adian Green, North Union Middle School, $1,500 scholarship
2nd Place – Coltin Berry, North Union Middle School, $1,000 scholarship
3rd Place – Bruce Jordan, Highland Middle School, $750 scholarship

7th Grade Winners

1st Place – Halle Marvich, Pleasant Middle School, $1,500 scholarship
2nd Place – Wyatt Wells, Pleasant Middle School, $1,000 scholarship
3rd Place – Zach Ahern, North Union Middle School, $750 scholarship

8th Grade Winners

1st Place – Andy Cooley, Highland Middle School, $1,500 scholarship
1st Place – Grayson Plotner, North Union Middle School, $1,500 scholarship
2nd Place – Isaac Zachman, Pleasant Middle School, $1,000 scholarship
3rd Place – Sebastian Bentley, River Valley Middle School, $750 scholarship

TEAM WINNERS
1st place in the team competition went to Highland Middle School:  Caleb Dodds, Sarah Cooley, Andy Cooley, Autumn Parsons, Gavin Kafka, Sophia Thompson.
2nd place in the team competition went to North Union Middle School:  Grayson Plotner, Grace Hall, Cameron Troesch, Natalie Smith, Madison Wedding, Kyle Willis.
3rd place in the team competition went to Pleasant Middle School:  Halle Marvich, Isaac Zachmann, Wyatt Wells, Jason Joehlin, James Enders, Gavin George.