2004 Colorado Mathematics Awards
Contest in Modeling | Putnam Competition
Download the award ceremony program.
Fifty outstanding mathematics students and 28 teachers from junior and senior high schools and colleges and universities in Colorado were recognized at the 9th annual Colorado Mathematics Awards reception on May 20th at the Grant-Humphreys Mansion in Denver.
Those invited to attend were students—and their parents and teachers—from across the state who had performed well on one or more national or international competitions in mathematics during the 2003-04 school year. More than 150 people attended the gala event.
The ceremony also honored two mathematics educators. Ms. Christine LeBlanc, D'Evelyn Junior-Senior High School, received the Edyth May Sliffe award for outstanding mathematics teaching at the junior high level. Professor Don Teets, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, received the Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award.
Financial contributors were American Mathematics Competitions, CH2M Hill, Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Mathematical Association of America, Rocky Mountain Section, and the Professional Engineers of Colorado. McKnight Jewelry of Durango engraved the plaques, and the Governor's Office arranged for signed certificates and letters of congratulation from Governor Bill Owens.
American Mathematics Contest 8
The AMC 8 is a 40-minute, 25-question multiple choice contest given in school on the Tuesday the week before Thanksgiving. Students in 8th grade and below are eligible. . In 2003 over 158,000 students from over 2,700 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 8. In Colorado, over 1,800 students from 34 schools participated in 2003-2004.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Marshall Carpenter | Summit MS | Boulder | (Greta Frohbieter) |
| (1) Leonid Ovanesyan | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (3) Sam Elder | Boltz JHS | Fort Collins | (Sue Everett) |
| (3) Samuel Galler | Summit MS | Boulder | (Greta Frohbieter) |
| (3) Marissa Latta | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (3) Claire McKeever | Powell MS | Littleton | (Joelle Hogue) |
| (3) Jenna Pettinger | Boltz JHS | Fort Collins | (Sue Everett) |
| (3) Spencer Zepelin | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Robert Fornia | Campus MS | Greenwood Vill | (Rhonda Naylor) |
| Jordan Maslov | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Amber Verser | Walt Clark MS | Loveland | (Rocke Verser) |
| Stephen Whitnah | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| David Wu | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Norris Xu | Southern Hills MS | Boulder | (Denise Pearman) |
Stephen Whitnah was the top scoring student in 6th grade or below who took the AMC 8 exam.
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is a math enrichment program for 6th through 8th graders which leads to a series of competitions at the school, chapter, state, and national levels. The top 4 students at the state competition represent their state at the national competition. A MATHCOUNTS competition lasts approximately 3 hours and consists of 5 rounds involving a combination of individual and team, written and oral problem solving activities. Over 950 individuals from 144 Colorado schools competed in 4-person teams during 2003-2004.
First Place Colorado Team
Sam Elder, Brandon Davis, Andrea Hayes, Jenna Pettinger, Boltz JHS, Fort Collins (Sue Everett).
Ms. Everett coached the Colorado MATHCOUNTS team (listed below) at the national competition.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Marshall Carpenter | Summit MS | Boulder | (Greta Frohbieter) |
| (2) Sam Elder | Boltz JHS | Fort Collins | (Sue Everett) |
| (3) Thomas Davids | Summit MS | Boulder | (Greta Frohbieter) |
| (4) Brandon Davis | Boltz JHS | Fort Collins | (Sue Everett) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Matthew Beard | Powell MS | Littleton | (Joelle Hogue) |
| Kevin Black | Hamilton MS | Denver | (Daryl Fengler) |
| Bill Higgins | Logan School | Denver | (Marty Caplan) |
| Leonid Ovanesyan | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| David Wu | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Spencer Zepelin | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
American Mathematics Contest 10
The AMC 10 and AMC 12 are 75-minute, 25-question multiple-choice contests that contain approximately 12 common problems and are given simultaneously in school on the Tuesday before the Presidents’ Day holiday. Students in grades 10 and below are eligible for AMC 10, and students in grade 12 and below are eligible for AMC 12. In 2004 over 239,000 students from over 4,200 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 10 and AMC 12. Over 2,000 Colorado students from 41 schools participated.
AMC 10—Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Ryan Hamerly | Boulder HS | Boulder | (Melissa Warfield) |
| (1) Seth O'Brien | Monarch HS | Louisville | (Dan Felknor) |
| (1) Sara Sheehan | South HS | Pueblo | (Patrick Mara) |
AMC 10—Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Marshall Carpenter | Summit MS | Boulder | (Greta Frohbieter) |
| Karen Christopher | Cherry Creek HS | Greenwood Vill | (Michelle Barber) |
| Robert Fornia | Campus MS | Greenwood Vill | (Rhonda Naylor) |
| Sarah Hoffman | Cherry Creek HS | Greenwood Vill | (Michelle Barber) |
| Jesse Morse | George Washington HS | Denver | (Stephen Lacks) |
| Leonid Ovanesyan | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Ryan Shaffer | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
American Mathematics Contest 12
AMC 12—Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Andy Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Steve Cavnar) |
| (2) Michael Rodgers | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Carla Berley) |
| (3) Conner Rogers | D'Evelyn Jr-Sr HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
AMC 12—First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
Andy Scacco, Leon Slavkin, James Zorich, Smoky Hill HS, Aurora (Steve Cavnar)
AMC 12—Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Tanner Gansert | D'Evelyn Jr-Sr HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
| Ian Hamilton | Arapahoe HS | Littleton | (Debbie Turner) |
| Bryce Herdt | William Mitchell HS | Colo Springs | (Anne Thrasher) |
| Jason Liu | Douglas County HS | Castle Rock | (Jodene Lissler) |
| Jesse Morse | George Washington HS | Denver | (Stephen Lacks) |
| Ji Ho Park | Fountain Valley School | Colo Springs | (Deb Prantl) |
| Yiming Wang | Boulder HS | Boulder | (Melissa Warfield) |
American Invitational
Mathematics Examination
The American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) is a 3-hour, 15-question examination with each answer a 3-digit number. The AIME is administered six weeks after the AMC 10, 12 exams to student achieving Honor Roll status on the AMC 10, 12 exams. In 2004 approximately 12,000 students nationwide qualified for the AIME. There were 119 Honor Roll students from Colorado.
USA Mathematical Olympiad
The USA Math Olympiad (USAMO) is a 9-hour, 6-question essay examination given 5 weeks after the AIME to the top 260 students participating in the AMC 10, 12 exams and the AIME. This year, five Colorado students qualified to write the 2004 USAMO. The top 6 USAMO students comprise the team that represents the USA at the International Mathematical Olympiad held in July. This year’s IMO will be held in Athens.
Qualifying Students for the USAMO (and Coaches)
| Bryce Herdt | William Mitchell HS | Colo Springs | (Eric McNeill) |
| Seth O'Brien | Monarch HS | Louisville | (Dan Felknor) |
| Conner Rogers | D'Evelyn Jr-Sr HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
| Andrew Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Steve Cavnar) |
| Sara Sheehan | South HS | Pueblo | (Patrick Mara) |
Mathematical Contest in Modeling
The Mathematical Contest in Modeling is a team contest for undergraduates. The Mathematical Association of America is one of the sponsoring organizations. Each team of three students works in mid-February from midnight on a Thursday until 5 p.m. the following Monday, using applied mathematics to solve their choice of one of three real-world problems. In 2004, 599 teams from 11 countries submitted solutions; 10 teams from seven Colorado colleges and universities participated.
Top Colorado Team (and Coach)—Outstanding Ranking
Brian Camley, Pascal Getreuer, Bradley Klingenberg, University of Colorado, Boulder (Prof. Anne Dougherty)
Moorea Brega, Alejandro Cantarero, Corry Lee, University of Colorado, Boulder (Prof. Bengt Fornberg)
Outstanding is the highest award level possible. Only 7 of 599 teams worldwide achieved it in 2004!
William Lowell Putnam
Mathematical Competition
This competition is a collegiate examination sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. This exam is a 6-hour, 12-question essay examination given on campus on the first Saturday in December. All undergraduates are eligible. In 2003 over 3,600 students from 479 institutions participated. Students from ten Colorado colleges and universities participated. CSU’s team placed 57th out of 401 teams.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Adam Henderson | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (2) Manfred Georg | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |
| (2) Nicholas Hall | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (2) Felipe Ramierez | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |
| (2) Deanna Turk | University of Northern Colorado | Greeley | (Prof. Steven Leth) |
First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
Manfred Georg, Travis King, Felipe Ramierez, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins (Prof. Alexander Huelpke)