Madame Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievement of the Maryland Mathcounts team at the National Mathcounts Competition held in Denver on May 9, 2008. Represented by Jason Hyun, Ben Lowenstein, and Sam Zbarsky of Takoma Park Middle School, and Linus Hamilton of Hyattsville Middle School, the participants performed exceptionally well in the country’s largest middle school math competition, earning a third place overall group finish. Two members of this young team also performed well individually, finishing in the top of the quarterfinal round.
Sarah Manchester, who teaches math at Takoma Park Middle School and coached the Maryland team in this impressive performance, deserves special recognition. Maryland was the only state to be represented by more than one finalist in the individual playoff round, and Sarah’s efforts to ensure that the students were prepared for this competition are reflected in the team’s success. Sarah has taught Mathcounts students for a decade and continues to donate her time and energy to help her students excel.
More than 6,000 schools participate annually in the Mathcounts competition. Since it began in 1983, Mathcounts has had over seven million gifted young math students study in the program and participate in its competitions. Funded by the donations of generous individuals and corporations, the scholarships awarded to the participants provide a strong incentive for young people to commit themselves to an extracurricular program that builds math skills, improves critical thinking, and fosters teamwork. The 17,000 volunteers, like Sarah Manchester, who coach the 500,000 middle school students who participate each year pass on an enthusiasm for mathematics that is rewarding for all those involved.
Madame Speaker, I am honored to commend the students and educators who make Mathcounts such a remarkable and successful program. I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the efforts of all the Mathcounts participants, and I look forward to watching the program continue to showcase the extraordinary talents of our students and their dedicated teachers in the years to come.