Mathletes Head to States!
Foote sent 12 competitors to the MathCounts competition at Yale on Saturday, February 1:
- 8th grade: Meg Harper-Mangels, Alora Hanson, Avik Patel, Lucien De La Cruz y Carmin
- 7th Grade: Dar Assaf, Gage Seymour, Tristan Shahid, Gabriel Wang
- 6th grade: Lucy Thompson, Arden Boms, Avina Sadeghipour Roodsari, Erica Choi
"Our 12 competitors all performed very well against other students in the New Haven area!" exclaimed MathCounts co-advisor John Hay. (The club is also led by Middle School Math Teacher Tim Norman.)
Five students, Avina, Gabe, Tristan, Meg and Avik, qualified for states — a first for Foote since 2018. To qualify for the states, students must finish in the top 25% of the 150 participants. States will take place on March 1.
Mr. Hay pointed out that Avina was one of the few 6th graders who participated in the competition. "Almost all schools are very competitive, bringing mostly 8th grade students. We purposely try to get a blend of experience and enthusiasm, opening up to all students in grades 6-8 who are active participants in our weekly club," he explained.
Avik finished in 12th place overall, and qualified for the Countdown round, which is a head -to-head, fast-paced, best-of-three competition. He made it to the quarter finals, narrowly losing 2–1 to his opponent.
According to Hay, "Our MathCounts club has experienced remarkable growth over the past two years, fostering a community where students eagerly collaborate and tackle challenging problems together. Thanks to the leadership of our dedicated student leaders, the club has expanded to nearly five times its original size."