Local middle school students are awarded college scholarships through the MATHCOUNTS competition held at SCC | SCC
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    Local middle school students are awarded college scholarships through the MATHCOUNTS competition held at SCC

    Published on Feb 12, 2024

    Tristan Hodge: first-place winner with SLMS Coach Cody MooreTristan Hodge: first-place winner with SLMS Coach Cody Moore
    First-place team from South Laurel: Jacob Depew, Tristan Hodge, Brayden Dyche and Easton FieldsFirst-place team from South Laurel: Jacob Depew, Tristan Hodge, Brayden Dyche and Easton Fields
    A special thanks to the SCC Faculty graders in this year's competitionA special thanks to the SCC Faculty graders in this year's competition

    "SCC's MATHCOUNTS event was a resounding success," according to Dr. Scott McClendon, Somerset Community College (SCC) Professor and MATHCOUNTS Coordinator.

    Last year, the event had only one participating school. In this year's event, four middle schools participated, with 23 students competing. The schools that participated were Clay County Middle School, Cornerstone Christian School, McCreary County Middle School and South Laurel Middle School.

    MATHCOUNTS enables students to learn problem-solving techniques and an understanding of the application of math in real-world situations. Today, over 70 schools and approximately 600 students participate in 13-chapter competitions across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

    SCC proudly welcomed the Cumberland Falls chapter of MATHCOUNTS to the Somerset Campus on February 3.

    The top winner of the competition was awarded several scholarships, including a four-year full-tuition scholarship to Morehead State University, a four-year $3,000 scholarship to the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering, a four-year $1,000 scholarship to Western Kentucky University, a two-year tuition scholarship to SCC, and a $500 scholarship from the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers.

    The second-place winner received a one-year tuition scholarship from SCC and a $200 scholarship from the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation. The third-place winner received a one-semester scholarship from SCC and a $150 scholarship from the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation. The fourth-place winner, Silas Hyde from Clay County Middle School, received a $100 scholarship from the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation.

    The competition winner, Tristan Hodge, hails from South Laurel Middle School, with Bentley Hubbard from Clay County Middle School taking second place and Braden Dyche from South Laurel Middle School taking third place. The students also competed as a team from each school, with the top two teams being South Laurel and McCreary County. These top two teams and the top two individuals not on a team will advance to the state-level MATHCOUNTS competition.

    "We are thrilled to see the event grow and expand, and we firmly believe that the key to its continued success is establishing connections with local schools," McClendon said.

    SCC encourages more middle schools to get involved in next year's event, expected in February 2025. For more information about MATHCOUNTS, contact the local chapter coordinator.