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Local students win at state Math Field Day competition

Randolph County students who participated in the West Virginia State Math Field Day include, from left, junior Mason Clark, senior Jacob Earle and seventh-grader Luke Anger, shown here Tuesday at Elkins High School. Anger earned first place at the state competition for his grade level. Earle earned seventh place in grades 10 to 12, along with the opportunity to compete at a national competition.

ELKINS — Math students from Elkins had a great showing at the state Math Field Day, with one student earning top honors for his grade level and another earning a spot to compete at a national event.

Elkins seventh-grader Luke Anger took first place in his grade level at the West Virginia State Math Field Day, which took place Saturday at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Anger attends Elkins Middle School, and he takes math classes at Elkins High School.

EHS senior Jacob Earle and EHS junior Mason Clark also competed at the state competition for grades 10 to 12, and Earle earned seventh place. The top 15 students at that level earn a place on the state team, which will represent West Virginia at the American Regions Mathematics League’s annual national competition in June at Penn State.

“I’m excited and very proud of our students,” said Tina Hinzman, a local Math Field Day coordinator and a teacher at EMS. “I have had regional winners that have gone to state Math Field Day, but to my knowledge, I don’t know that Randolph County has had winners before. It was extremely exciting — extremely.”

Hinzman said the students practiced and studied a great deal before the regional and state competitions.

“They work very hard, and they do a lot of the preparation for this on their own,” she said.

The regional Math Field Day competition took place March 8 at Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, with top-ranked students from 12 counties facing off in team and individual events.

At the state level, competition included the top three students from grades four through nine from each region, as well as the top 15 students from grades 10 through 12 in each region. The state is split into eight regions, representing all 55 counties.

The state competition for the younger students includes an individual written test, mental math, relays, estimation challenges and other activities. At the level for grades 10 to 12, competition includes an individual exam, relays and other activities as well as team questions.

Earle said he had fun at the state Math Field Day, explaining it wasn’t too intimidating and he learned some new things.

Clark said he enjoyed the state competition because it offers a chance to see students from other areas.

“We see the same people everywhere we go,” Clark said.

Anger agreed, and said he wasn’t too nervous at the state Math Field Day. He placed second at the state level last year, and he participated the year before that.

He said the experience he gained during the prior competitions definitely helped him this time, and he felt more comfortable and knowledgeable during the event.

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