Pocahontas Math Field Day Winners

Dunmore, W.Va. – Wednesday was Math Field Day in Pocahontas County – an academic competition for students in fourth to ninth grades. County math coach Joanna Burt Kinderman describes the concept of the competition.

“Math Field Day is a time to celebrate the kids who really love math and who really excel at math,” she said. “A time to really bring them into focus, for them just to be with their peers, enjoy the competition and get to have a really fun day.

“Math Field Day has some contests that are designed from the state down to the region and we did those this morning, before we had a very early lunch. Students have to do a written test, which just has kind of traditional problem solving. Then they have a mental math section, where they have to just hear a problem and solve in their head. They have a section on estimating number and then a section on estimating quantity, where they’re estimating size and shape and amount.

“Culturally, our schools have been focused on making sure everyone meets a certain mark, which really leaves the focus away from really pushing kids to excel. There are very few times throughout the scholl year where we say, ‘the big deal now is not that you can meet the minimum, but that you can push yourself beyond your maximum.'”

Pocahontas County Math Field Day 2012 Results
4th Grade
2nd Alternate – Marlinton – Alan Gibson
1st Alternate – Hillsboro – Cassidy Hardesty
Third Place – Marlinton – Silas Riley
Second Place – Marlinton – Brandon Burns
First Place – Marlinton – Haden Mick

5th Grade
2nd Alternate – Marlinton – Devyn Young
1st Alternate – Green Bank – Sadie Dillion-Whitehead
Third Place – Green Bank – Kylian Dennison
First Place – Marlinton – Michael McGee

6th Grade
2nd Alternate – Green Bank – Hunter Shafer
1st Alternate – Marlinton – Jordan Nutter
Third Place – Marlinton – Taylor Tegmeyer
Second Place – Green Bank – Logan Woodruff
First Place – Marlinton – Colton Massey

7th Grade
2nd Alternate – Marlinton – Walker Shinaberry
1st Alternate – Green Bank – Megan Long
Third Place – Green Bank – Jacob Hise
Second Place – Marlinton – Mark Jordan
First Place – Marlinton – Briar Wilfong

8th Grade
2nd Alternate – Marlinton – Kayla Gibson
1st Alternate – Green Bank – Brandon Halterman
Third Place – Marlinton – Ashley Stewart
Second Place – Green Bank – Brady Jones
First Place – Marlinton – Ryan Puffenbarger

9th Grade
2nd Alternate – Taylor Layne
1st Alternate – Caitlin Barnes
Third Place – Tyler Owens
Second Place – Mia Ellison
First Place – Jacob Hefner