Plum Grove finishes fifth at state MATHCOUNTS meet

Led by another strong performance from eighth-grader Emily Jia, Plum Grove Junior High’s MATHCOUNTS team finished its 2012 season with a fifth-place finish at the state competition Saturday, March 3, in Lisle.

Winston Campus Junior High’s MATHCOUNTS team also participated in the state competition, finishing 16th in the field of 50 teams.

The two teams qualified to compete at state after excelling in their regional competitions, which were held Feb. 4 at Oakton Community College.

For the fourth year in a row, Plum Grove’s MATHCOUNTS team took first place in the regional competition. Winston Campus took third place at regionals for the second consecutive year.

Individually, Emily Jia placed the highest of the 11 District 15 students who competed at state, finishing sixth in the field of more than 300 competitors. Her top-10 finish qualified her to compete in the Countdown Round, where she took second place.

Four other District 15 students had their rankings published, meaning they finished among the top 25 percent of the field. Mark Guo, an eighth-grader at Plum Grove, finished 22nd; Emery Liu, an eighth-grader from Winston Campus, finished 39th; George Moe, a seventh-grader from Plum Grove, finished 56th; and Kevin Chen, a sixth-grader from Hunting Ridge School, finished 59th.

Sponsored by the Professional Society of Engineers, MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, coaching, and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement and provides today’s students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.

Now in its 29th year, MATHCOUNTS is one of the country’s largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students.