DOWAGIAC — More than 300 students from 20 school districts were challenged Tuesday in the 27th annual Math Meet at Southwestern Michigan College’s campus in Dowagiac.
Teams of five students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades put their skills to the test in four areas of mathematics, competing for points and, ultimately, awards in their school and grade.
Coordinators from Van Buren, Lewis Cass and St. Joseph Intermediate School Districts (ISD) organized the day’s events with representatives from the Tri-County Steering Committee and the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM).
Along with a special activity, provided by Steve Granata, students solved problems in areas of probability, data analysis, geometry, measurement, operations, number theory and algebra.
“Today was a great celebration of math,” Brian Wood, director of instructional services for Lewis Cass ISD, said. “In the 27 years that we’ve done this, we want it to celebrate math and students’ interest in the subject.”
After all four competing events were finished, lunch was served and Granata entertained the students and their coaches in the Lyons Theater.
“It’s a neat thing to witness, and I also enjoy getting to host the event and present the awards,” Wood said.
Representatives from MCTM, who also rewarded the teams with ribbons and trophies, completed all the questions and scoring.
“Having this many students take such an interest in math is encouraging,” Wood said. “This sets them on the track for their high school math courses and possibly careers related to math in the future.”
Some of the day’s biggest winners included Berrien Springs, Mattawan, Sturgis and Edwardsburg. Cassopolis received second place in the seventh grade for students’ work in the geometry and measurements event.
Berrien Springs was named second in their seventh grade level and third in their eighth grade level overall. They were also awarded third all-district champions.