On Feb. 1, North Middle School hosted the 2020 Long Island MATHCOUNTS competition. Fifteen schools from Nassau and Suffolk counties participated in this regional event, including both Great Neck middle schools.
The team from South Middle School finished in second place and qualified for the state competition. Members of the South Middle team are: Colin Hu, Luke Huang, Jonathan Kogan, Leon Lian, Ruiqi Liu, Aman Thawani, Ivan Xu, Mofan Yu, Laura Zhang, and Tiffany Zhang. The team coach is Diane Hodgson, a mathematics teacher at South Middle.
The team from North Middle finished in sixth place. Members of the North Middle team are: Noah Choi, Julia Huang, Kattie Huang, Tim Li, Ashley Liu, William Okin, Adrian Shiu, Jeremy Shiu, Melvin Thu, Logan Ye, and Isaac Xu. The team coach is Zachary Boyt, mathematics department head at North Middle.
Additionally, four South Middle students — Ruiqi Liu, Colin Hu, Mofan Yu, and Laura Zhang — were among the top 12 of all participants. This placement qualified them to participate in the fast-paced Countdown Round, where students face-off against one another to answer questions before their opponent. Mofan Yu took second place overall in the individual portion of this competition.
Team members who will represent South Middle at the state competition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in March are Luke Huang, Jonathan Kogan, Ivan Xu, and Mofan Yu.
The MATHCOUNTS competition focuses on problem-solving and mathematical reasoning through collaboration, with points awarded for speed and accuracy. It is sponsored by the MATHCOUNTS Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides engaging programs to middle schools across the country.
