Minnesota’s PEs have made MATHCOUNTS available for middle school students of all abilities since 1983. That’s when the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers launched the math enrichment program in our state.
That same year, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and CNA Insurance, together, established the National MATHCOUNTS Foundation. Their goal: to encourage students with a passion for math and science to pursue STEM coursework not just in junior high, but in high school and college.
Ultimately, they hoped the encouragement in middle school would lead more students to consider careers, like engineering, that required a passion for math and science. And it worked. Many of the MnSPE members who are MATHCOUNTS volunteers today were mathletes during their middle school years.
They remember the challenges and the fun of their MATHCOUNTS years. And they’re working hard with other volunteers to make sure that both are available to today’s middle school students. Volunteers are getting ready now for the 2023 MATHCOUNTS Season, which will run from January – March.
Volunteers are working with coaches in their chapters to schedule and organize the Chapter level competitions that lead up to the state MATHCOUNTS competition.
Volunteers are preparing to serve as proctors during competitions and to round up pizzas and treats for hungry mathletes during chapter and state events . They’re putting their golf clubs away and remembering the golf tournaments they held to raise funds for awards and prizes for mathletes during the competition season.
They’re looking at past state competitions and developing activities and mini-contests to ease mathletes stress during the two-day 2023 State MATHCOUNTS Competition.
Volunteers’ efforts and the support of industry sponsors have helped make Minnesota MATHCOUNTS one of the oldest and most successful education partnerships in the country – bringing together students, volunteer engineers, educators, and industry sponsors since 1983.
