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Picture this scene…

A red carpet, excited energy, trophies awaiting their recipients…while a photographer captures every superstar. While you might be visualizing the Oscars, another place offers this kind of star treatment: MATHCOUNTS.

This year at our National Competition, we literally rolled out the red carpet and celebrated some brilliant young people from around the country. Hollywood grabs our attention with glitz and glamour, but there are so many other places where talent abounds and contributes to our successful future—in science labs, in medical offices, in classrooms and beyond.

What would happen if we gave our stand-out STEM students just as much of our attention?

At MATHCOUNTS, we know what will happen. When we give young Mathletes the space to be recognized for their skills, that validation propels them into some of the most important careers in our society where they make life a little better for all of us. MATHCOUNTS programs go beyond increasing student problem solving skills…our programs show Mathletes that being a problem solver matters.

We hope you’ll join us in giving these math stars the attention they deserve and reading a bit about how we’re empowering them to change the world.

Lights, camera, action!

Building on the success of 2020-21, MATHCOUNTS expanded the initiative in 2022 with support from the US Department of Defense STEM and the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. Two alumni coaches received $3,000 scholarships, and a cohort of 14 community coaches attended moderated webinars, received free registration and resources for their schools, and earned plaques and recommendation letters. 

In partnership with BAE Systems, the entire MATHCOUNTS community celebrated 2023 Engineers Week from February 20-24! A hands-on activity and four engineering-themed problem sets introduced students to the math concepts explored in aerospace, civil, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering. Over 4,000 people participated in EWeek, and 70 individuals and 15 groups won prize drawings.

BAE Systems sponsored the Northeast Region of the 2022-23 Competition Series, supporting content creation, program materials, national competitor participation, local and state events, and Title I subsidies for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The most active clubs earned recognition and prizes through Silver Level Status and Gold Level Status, and one lucky Gold Level Club, Normon S. Weir School in New Jersey, won the Grand Prize drawing to attend the National Competition in May!

To achieve Gold Level Status, clubs must complete a creative, collaborative math project. For 83 clubs, this included a Math Video Challenge project. Other clubs did community service projects, like Pride Academy Charter School in New Jersey, which hosted an equation tournament for their school. “The goal is that students will become excited about learning math and create a more positive culture around mathematics at Pride Academy,” the club members said.
 

Beginning in the spring, MATHCOUNTS program leaders turned their attention to 2023-24, creating a task force to reimagine the National Math Club and merge elements of the Math Video Challenge into the program to create a more enriching experience for even more students. In August, the relaunched National Math Club was announced, with changes reflecting feedback from club leaders and participants.