West Memphis Schools Win 5 of 6 at Regional Math Contest at MSCC

West Memphis High School won three first-place awards; West Junior High earned two, and Rivercrest High captured one at Saturday’s Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics contest at Mid-South Community College.

WMHS won the Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, Statistics, and Calculus competitions, and WJHS prevailed in Algebra I and Algebra II. Rivercrest triumphed in Geometry to prevent a West Memphis sweep.

 

Algebra I Winners

“This year’s ACTM Regional Math contest was a wonderful success,” said Garth Johnson, MSCC Program Coordinator for Mathematics and Physical Education, who served as regional director. “We had a record turnout; 179 students participated on Saturday (March 3).”
 

Geometry Winners

Algebra I winners include, from left, Maya Hood, West Junior High, first; Lotta Keller, Marion Junior High, second; and Jonathan Sparrow, West Junior High, third. 

Geometry winners include, from left, Kyler Cowten, Rivercrest High School, first; Anna Gately, West Memphis High School, second; and Parker Grigsby, West Memphis High School, third.

Algebra II Winners

Algebra II winners include, from left, Robbie House, Marion, third; Hannah Phipps, Marion, second; Lacy Smith, West Junior High, first.
 

Students from Earle High School, East Junior High School, Hughes High School, Lee High School (Marianna), Marion High School, Marion Junior High School, Rivercrest High School, West Memphis High School, West Junior High School, and Wonder Junior High School participated in the event sponsored statewide by the ACTM.
 

In the Algebra I competition, Maya Hood of West Junior High placed first, and Lotta Keller of Marion Junior High came in second. Jonathan Sparrow of West Junior High finished third. Laith El-
Bairoti West Junior High earned an honorable mention.
 

In Geometry, Kyler Cowten of Rivercrest High School finished first; Anna Gately of West Memphis High School came in second; Parker Grigsby of West Memphis High School placed third. Katie Wells of Marion High School earned an honorable mention.
 

Lacy Smith of West Junior High School prevailed in the Algebra II competition, and Hannah Phipps of Marion High School placed second. Robbie House of Marion came in third. Emma Henson and Matthew Miller of West Junior High, Aaron Purifoy of West Memphis High School, and Jimmy Roseberry of Rivercrest High School received honorable mention recognition.

Trig and Pre-Calculus Winners

Trig and Pre-Calculus winners include, from left, Spencer McElrath, Marion, third; Joseph Jackson, Hughes High School, second; Tareq El-Bairoti, West Memphis High School, first.
 

Statistics Winners

Winners in the Statistics competition include, from left, Rachel Reese, West Memphis High School, first; and Thomas Rivers, Marion High School, third. Not pictured is Malcolm Payne Jr., Marion, second.
 

Tareq El-Bairoti of West Memphis High School set the curve in the Trigonometry & Pre-Calculus competition with a first-place finish. Joseph Jackson of Hughes High School came in second, and Spencer McElrath of Marion High School finished third.
 

El-Bairoti is three-time regional winner. He triumphed in Algebra II in 2010 and Algebra I in 2009.
 

In the Statistics division, Rachel Reese of West Memphis High School placed first; Malcolm Payne Jr. of Marion High School finished second, and Thomas Rivers of Marion High School came in third.
 

West Memphis High School’s Tyler Massey won the Calculus competition. Shelby Worthy of West Memphis High School and Jasmine Jones of Lee High School, placed second and third, respectively
 

The subject-area tests reflected the vision set forth by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and the Arkansas Department of Education adopted frameworks. Questions focused on problem solving and conceptual understanding rather than routine manipulation.
 

First-, second- and third-place finishers in the regional competition qualified to participate in the state contest, which is scheduled for April 28 at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Other top finishers from the MSCC contest may also have the opportunity to advance, depending on how their scores compare with students in other regions throughout the state.
 

Top finishers from the contest at MSCC have often performed well in the state competition.
 

Following Saturday’s exams, students participated in a hands-on educational activity coordinated by students from the Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. This year’s challenge included the design and “construction” of a free-standing structure which would include a marble at the top. The student team with the tallest tower won bragging rights.
 

Calculus Winners

All of MSCC’s full-time Math Department faculty and several other part-time faculty and staff from other departments assisted in registration, proctoring the contests, and grading.
 

The top finishers in Calculus include, from left, Jasmine Jones, Lee High School, third; Shelby Worthy, West Memphis High School, second; and Tyler Massey, West Memphis High School, first.