PIMS math whiz scores big
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
F. RYAN KELLY, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School, at right, holds the certificate and pin he received after earning the highest score of all Aroostook County students who took the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competitions 8 exam. The AMC 8 was a 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. Kelly and other top scoring students from throughout the state will be part of a special celebration during the first week of February.
PRESQUE ISLE – F. Ryan Kelly, an eighth-grader at Presque Isle Middle School, has always been good at math. In fact, he’s so good at it that he recently earned the highest score of all Aroostook County students who took the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competitions 8 exam.
“In pre-K, I was multiplying and dividing fractions,” said Kelly, 14. “I’m taking algebra now and it’s going really well.
“Numbers just come naturally [to me],” he said. “I don’t need to think about it; it’s just if I see two numbers, I know what they add up to.”
At PIMS, eighth grade algebra students took the AMC 8 test.
“It wasn’t really anything we could study for,” said Kelly. “I went to bed at 8 p.m. the night before and got a really good night’s sleep, woke up and ate a decent breakfast, and in the classroom, I stayed focused.”
The AMC 8 was a 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills. The competition is for students in sixth through eighth grades, although accelerated fourth- and fifth-graders can also take part.
The material covered comes from the middle school mathematics curriculum. Topics include probability, estimation, percentages, spatial visualization, everyday applications, and reading and interpreting graphs.
The contest is held simultaneously at middle schools and colleges nationwide Nov. 16. This year, more than 150,000 students competed. Competition entries are mailed to the nationwide headquarters in Lincoln, Neb., where they are evaluated by computer. A student’s score is the number of problems correctly answered.
While Kelly earned the highest score in Aroostook County, second place is shared by Ashley Hersey from Easton Junior High School and Austin Griffeth from Caribou Middle School, while third place goes to Angela Wang from PIMS. These students, together with the best participants of the other Maine regions, will be part of a special celebration during the first week of February.
According to the Mathematical Association of America’s website, a certificate of distinction is given to all students who receive a perfect score, an AMC 8 winner pin is given to the student(s) in each school with the highest score, the top three students for each school section will receive respectively a gold, silver, or bronze certificate for outstanding achievement, an AMC 8 honor roll certificate is given to all high scoring students, and an AMC 8 merit certificate is given to high scoring students who are in sixth grade or below.
Eva J. Szillery, state director of the American Mathematics competitions, said the number of participants in Aroostook County doubled this year compared to previous years.
“Activities like the AMC contest allow and encourage students to excel in an academic sphere,” she said. “The contest is a rewarding experience where mathematical curiosity and skill are stimulated. The American Mathematics Competitions are designed to inspire an interest in mathematics that will lead to academic success, scholarship and a rewarding career. Competence in mathematics and mathematical understanding lead to success and an enriched life.”
The county competition was held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Kelly said he was pleased to do so well on the exam.
“I was expecting to place in the top three at my school,” he said, “but I never thought I’d get top in the school and the county. That’s pretty neat.”
A participant in the school’s math league, Kelly recently applied to the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone. He has yet to learn if he’s been accepted.
“I was really kind of feeling iffy about everything, but this [doing so well on the exam] has really given me motivation,” he said. “It shows that I can do it, I just have to try.”
The motivated math whiz has his long-term educational plans already laid out.
“I’d like to go to MSSM for high school, then go to a good undergrad school … maybe a football school because I love football and I think it would be a good atmosphere,” said Kelly. “After that I’d like to go onto graduate school at Harvard Med to become an invasive cardiologist.”
Kelly is the son of Mary Kay Moreau and Charles Terrence Kelly.
The Mathematical Association of America will offer the same type of competition for high school students next month. Aroostook County high school students are invited to register and take AMC 10 or AMC 12 at noon Tuesday, Feb. 8 at UMPI. The first 25 students to register for the competition are invited for lunch on campus.
For information or to register, contact Szillery by e-mailing evaszillery-mmsets@me.acadia.net or calling 356-0207.
