The Middle School Math Counts team earned 2nd place at a recent tournament and qualified for the state tournament in March.

The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who make up the Sidwell Friends team will next compete against the best teams in D.C. for a shot at the Math Counts national competition in May. Each level of competition includes a mixture of independent and team mathematical problem solving.

Practices for the 10 students on the team are held once a week after school, where sample competitions are given to sharpen the students’ skills. All Middle School students are invited to come to the practices, said MS math department head and team advisor Andrew Callard, but 10 are selected to represent SFS at the competitions based on how well they have done on qualifying tests.

Math Counts is a national organization that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement and sponsors competitions for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

You can view a picture of the team at right. Congratulations!