February 10, 2016 (Avon, CT) — Aresh Pourkavoos from Talcott Mountain Academy was recognized as the top individual overall at the 2016 Hartford Chapter MATHCOUNTS competition, which was held on Saturday, February 6, at the University of Hartford. The seventh grade student was one of 208 middle school students from 27 schools who competed at the event.
Aresh was also recognized as the top individual in the Countdown Round, which is a fast-paced oral competition for the top-scoring sixteen individuals. The Talcott Mountain Academy team, which included Aresh and classmates Lillian Steinmayer, Annika Mathias and Yusuf Zaidi, finished fourth in the overall competition. The team was coached by Talcott Mountain Academy teachers John Lombardo and Jenna Crincoli.
As top finishers in the event, the students will be continuing on the State Competition, which will be held at the University of Hartford on March 12. The top four individual winners at the State Competition will advance to the National Competition to be held in Washington, DC on May 8 & 9.
Talcott Mountain Academy is an independent school for intellectually excited students K-8. Founded in 1983 as a division of the Talcott Mountain Science Center, the Academy is a unique on-site learning laboratory that nurtures children’s innate abilities from an early age. A fully integrated curriculum provides a robust and meaningful education that fosters both the intellectual and creative abilities of gifted and talented children.
In our increasingly technological society, students who do not begin developing strong problem solving, logical thinking and analytical abilities in middle school will face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. As the only nationwide math enrichment, club and competition program designed to improve math skills for U.S. middle school students, MATHCOUNTS prepares students for future career opportunities and success. More than 6 million students across the U.S. have participated in MATHCOUNTS programs in the last 32 years.
The competition is organized by the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers, hosted by the University of Hartford and sponsored by businesses and individuals in the greater Hartford area. National sponsors include Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, Phillips 66, Texas Instruments Incorporated, 3Mgives, Art of Problem Solving and NextThought. MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation.