What drew you to the MATHCOUNTS DoD STEM Ambassador Program? What do you love most about the program?

As a MATHCOUNTS coach and club leader, I saw the application at the end of last season. When I saw what previous DoD STEM ambassadors were doing, it seemed perfect for what I wanted to accomplish for my school. I love hearing about different STEM initiatives across the country, especially because some people in STEM can feel isolated. Collaborating with teachers and STEM leaders nationwide is exciting. I’ve always been interested in technology, and I aim to integrate all these disciplines to become the educator I wished for as a kid. That’s my driving force. Growing up, I experienced a lack of representation in STEM, so if I can be a role model for even one person, it’s worth it.

Each Ambassador is responsible for publishing a Planning for Impact project that promotes equity in STEM among underrepresented and military-connected students. Your Planning for Impact project aims to recruit girls for MATHCOUNTS competitions. How did you arrive at this and what have you learned from organizing your event?

My efforts to promote girls' engagement in STEM began at my current school, which is designated as a STEM school. Despite this, I noticed a lack of STEM activities in the classroom. As part of the academic leadership team, I analyzed data and observed brilliant girls not participating in STEM-related extracurriculars. Recognizing the need for more opportunities, I initiated activities like MATHCOUNTS to build confidence and interest in STEM among the girls. I emphasized its role as a confidence booster and a chance to explore higher-level math concepts in a fun environment.

I aim to serve as a role model by encouraging girls that STEM is for them. Despite challenges like scheduling and societal perceptions, I'm committed to providing exposure to STEM from an early age, knowing its importance in fostering long-term interest and participation. Ultimately, I want to maximize opportunities for girls in STEM during my tenure at the school.

As part of your Planning for Impact project, you hosted an unofficial MATHCOUNTS competition in March just for girls. Can you describe the experience of planning for and executing a school-run competition? What went well, what was challenging, and what changes will you make for future events?

I had positive reviews from coaches [after the event], and I was able to showcase our experience at the North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Conference. Our competition inspired a couple of other schools to start their own MATHCOUNTS programs!

One challenge was securing a date that didn't conflict with the official state competition in March. Another major hurdle was managing the logistics: hosting 10 schools with around 50 female participants and 15 high school volunteers. Another MATHCOUNTS coach, former DoD STEM Ambassador Tyler Erb, recruited the high school volunteers, who greatly enjoyed the opportunity to mentor middle school students. We expressed gratitude to coaches with goody bags, recognizing their indispensable role in bringing their students to an unofficial, weekend event. In hindsight, I'd ensure coaches receive test results promptly, as it's vital for their planning. Providing comprehensive test packets up-front would facilitate their post-event review, aiding their clubs' development.

MATHCOUNTS coaches who weren’t present at your event might be wondering how your unofficial MATHCOUNTS-style competition for girls compares to an official MATHCOUNTS Chapter competition. Can you explain how they differ?

Hosting this unofficial event allows for the female students to be the stars, no matter what…I think our event just really allows for young girls to be able to see that they are just as capable as male competitors. To have school teams get perfect scores on the team rounds is a testament to the ability of young girls to collaborate and compete at a high level.

I think it’s rare to see 6th graders participating in a Countdown Round for the first time at a Chapter Competition. At our girls-only event, we were able to pair newcomers against each other in the countdown bracket, so that they were competing with peers. A small accommodation like this goes a long way in helping less experienced students build confidence.

This causes a ripple effect because those students will talk about their experience to their friends and potentially get their friends interested, which is ultimately just going to grow our MATHCOUNTS program.

How did you support new schools who have no prior MATHCOUNTS experience? Did you make any accommodations, either just for the new schools or event-wide?

So, I prioritized having one-on-one time with the new school team to give them information without overloading them. It can seem like a lot to think about launching a competition team without any MATHCOUNTS experience, so I suggested that they start by joining the National Math Club.

By the end of the day, the first-time school had played Salute (as a warm-up to the Team Round), which meant that they already had a sense for some of the awesome games available through the National Math Club.

For the competition part of the event, I made some adaptations to ease them into it. For example, they just focused on the Team and Countdown Rounds. Event-wide, for the Countdown Round, all students had access to calculators, and we extended the question-answer timeframe from 45 seconds to 1 minute. These small tweaks to the official competition made participation more accessible without diminishing the experience for the more experienced teams.

How have you incorporated MATHCOUNTS resources into your classroom instruction?

I have about three weeks to prepare my students for benchmark testing, so my focus now is on making our review engaging and beneficial. Since I don’t see my students every day, I want to ensure our time together is valuable and enjoyable. Collaborative work, games and activities they can do with friends are key. I shared Engineers Week activities with my students and used newsletters to promote National Math Club meetings. I’m considering implementing a “Math March Madness” calendar as a resource for students. National Math Club activities have been particularly helpful in reducing math anxiety. Students especially loved the Club KenKen® exploration. These activities build number sense and are easily adaptable for classroom use.