2005 Colorado Mathematics Awards
Contest in Modeling | Putnam Competition
Download the award ceremony program.
Forty-six outstanding mathematics students and 32 teachers from junior and senior high schools and colleges and universities in Colorado were recognized at the 10th annual Colorado Mathematics Awards reception on Thursday, May 12th, 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 2004–05 school year. More than 150 people attended the gala event.
The ceremony also recognized two outstanding mathematics educators. Ms. Susan Burmont Whitnah, Challenge School, Denver, was the recipient of the Edyth May Sliffe award for outstanding mathematics teaching at the junior high level. Professor Brian Shader, University of Wyoming, was the recipient of the 2005 Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award from the Rocky Mountain Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
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. Mr. Nate Strauch from 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 2004, 155,000 students from 2,600 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 8. In Colorado, over 1,800 Colorado students from 34 schools participated.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Erika Parks | Craver MS | Colorado City | (Michael Parks) |
| (1) Spencer Zepelin | Challenge School | Denver | (Sue Whitnah) |
| (3) Amber Verser | Walt Clark MS | Loveland | (Bill Siebers) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Brena Adams | Craver MS | Colorado City | (Michael Parks) |
| Jeremy Bowlin | W Intergen Ctr | Colo Springs | (Clark Stroh) |
| David Dickson | W Intergen Ctr | Colo Springs | (Clark Stroh) |
| Andy Frang | Conrad Ball MS | Loveland | (Dana Stoddard) |
| Michael Morton | Home School | Rangely | (Dave & Carol Morton) |
| Stephen Whitnah | Challenge School | Denver | (Sue Whitnah) |
| David Wu | Challenge School | Denver | (Sue Whitnah) |
Stephen Whitnah was the top sixth grader who took the AMC 8 exam.
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is an after school program for 7th and 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 4 rounds involving a combination of individual and team, written and oral problem solving activities. Over 1,100 students from 159 Colorado schools competed in 2004–2005.
First Place Colorado Team
Kyle Mordan, Stephen Whitnah, David Wu, Spencer Zepelin, Challenge School, Denver (Rich Morrow).
Mr. Morrow coached the Colorado MATHCOUNTS team (listed below) at the national competition in Detroit.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Amber Verser | Walt Clark MS | Loveland | (Rocke Verser) |
| (2) Spencer Zepelin | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (3) Sam Milton | Cherry Creek West MS | Greenwood Vill | (Paul Wiggins) |
| (4) Scott McClary | Fort Morgan MS | Fort Morgan | (Sheila Fenderson) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Hunter Chase | Stargate Charter School | Thornton | (Scott Christopher) |
| Benjamin Kunstman | Southern Hills MS | Boulder | (Denise Pearman) |
| Victor Li | Summit MS | Boulder | (Haydee Phelps) |
| Bob Lou | Bear Creek K-8 School | Lakewood | (Robert Kramer) |
| Anand Natarajan | Peak To Peak School | Boulder | (Breeann Tonnsen) |
| Erika Parks | Craver MS | Colorado City | (Michael Parks) |
American Mathematics Contest 10
The AMC 10 and AMC 12 are 75-minute, 25-question multiple choice tests with approximately 12 common problems between them. Students in grades 10 and below are eligible for the AMC 10, and students in grades 12 and below are eligible for the AMC 12. The contests were given in school on the Tuesday before the President's Day holiday. In 2004 over 225,000 students from over 1,500 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 10 and the AMC 12. Over 1,700 Colorado students from 80 schools participated.
AMC 10—Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Bradley Wu | Cherry Creek HS | Englewood | (Michael Berndt) |
| (2) Kevin Black | George Washington HS | Denver | (Stephen Lacks) |
| (2) Thomas Davids | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Carla Berley) |
AMC 10—Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Hannah Alpert | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Carla Berley) |
| Anand Natarajan | Peak to Peak School | Lafayette | (Breeann Tonnsen) |
| Erin Noel | Littleton HS | Littleton | (Vanessa Brady) |
| Charlie Stoddard | Steamboat Springs MS | Steamboat Springs | (Ben Barbier) |
| Amber Verser | Walt Clark MS | Loveland | (Cori Stevens) |
| Charlie Wilcox | Boulder HS | Boulder | (Melissa Warfield) |
| Charles Zheng | Cherry Creek HS | Englewood | (Michael Berndt) |
Anand Natarajan was the top eighth grader who took the AMC 10 exam.
American Mathematics Contest 12
AMC 12—First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
SeHyoun Ahn, Ryan Hamerly, Tyler Miller, Boulder HS (Melissa Warfield)
AMC 12—Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Bryce Herdt | William Mitchell HS | Colo Springs | (Eric McNeill) |
| (2) Conner Rogers | D'Evelyn Jr-Sr HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
| (3) Andrew Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournik) |
AMC 12—Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| SeHyoun Ahn | Boulder HS | Boulder | (Melissa Warfield) |
| Sam Elder | Poudre HS | Fort Collins | (Jeff Davis) |
| Ryan Hamerly | Boulder | Boulder HS | (Melissa Warfield) |
| Mark Heim | Thompson Valley HS | Loveland | (Lanny Hass) |
| Benjamin Kurtz | Wheat Ridge HS | Wheat Ridge | (Janet Miller) |
| Jesse Morse | George Washington HS | Denver | (Stephen Lacks) |
| Michael Morton | Rangely HS | Rangely | (Lara Lepie) |
| Matthew Pevarnik | Grandview HS | Aurora | (Kimberley Mitchell) |
Jesse Morse was the top tenth grader who took the AMC 12 exam.
American Invitational
Mathematics Examination
The American Invitational Mathematics Examination is a 3-hour, 15-question examination with each answer a 3-digit number. Administered in school 6 weeks after the AMC 10, 12 to students achieving Honor Roll status on the AMC 10, 12. In 2005, approximately 12,500 students nationwide qualified for the AIME. There were 187 Honor Roll students from Colorado.
USA Mathematical Olympiad
The USA Mathematical Olympiad is a 9-hour, 6-question essay examination given in school 5 weeks after the AIME to the top 260 students participating in the AMC 10, 12 and the AIME. The top 6 USAMO students comprise the team that represents the USA at the International Mathematical Olympiad held in July. The 2005 IMO was held in Athens. Five students from Colorado qualified to write the 2005 USAMO on April 19-20.
Qualifying Students for the USAMO (and Coaches)
| Marshall Carpenter | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Carla Berley) |
| Sam Elder | Poudre HS | Fort Collins | (Jeff Davis) |
| Jesse Morse | George Washington HS | Denver | (Stephen Lacks) |
| Conner Rogers | D'Evelyn Jr-Sr HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
| Andrew Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournik) |
Sam Elder, a 9th grader, did well enough on the USAMO to qualify for the Math Olympiad Summer Program for the top 50 students.
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. A 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 2005, 644 teams from 10 countries submitted solutions; 16 teams from 8 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)
Outstanding is the highest award level possible. Only 10 of 644 teams worldwide achieved it in 2005!
William Lowell Putnam
Mathematical Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is a collegiate examination sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. It is a 6-hour, 12-question essay examination given on campus on the first Saturday in December. All undergraduates are eligible. In 2004 over 3,700 students from 515 institutions participated nationwide. Students from 11 Colorado colleges and universities participated.
First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
Reuben Brasher, Ryan Gardner, Nicholas Hall, University of Colorado, Boulder (Prof. Gordon Brown)
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Thomas Mark Bailey | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (2) Brian Camley | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (2) Ryan Gardner | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (2) Travis King | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |