2006 Colorado Mathematics Awards
Contest in Modeling | Putnam Competition
Download the award ceremony program.
Fifty-three outstanding mathematics students and 29 teachers from junior and senior HSs and colleges and universities in Colorado were recognized at the 11th annual Colorado Mathematics Awards reception on Wednesday, May 24th, 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 2005–06 school year. More than 140 people attended the gala event.
The ceremony also recognized Professor Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines, who received the 2006 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 2005, 143,000 students from 2,500 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 8. In Colorado, over 1,500 Colorado students from 27 schools participated.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Stephen Whitnah | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (2) Peter Eliot | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (2) Louis Tian | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| (2) Shuli Song | Classical Academy | Colo Springs | (Alan Versaw) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Benjamin Alpert | Summit MS | Boulder | (Silva Chang) |
| Ranjana Chandramouli | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Li Ding | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
| Nate Faber | Conrad Ball MS | Loveland | (Dana Stoddard) |
| Tae Kim | Campus MS | Greenwood Vill | (Sandra Evans) |
| Alexander LaTourrette | Conrad Ball MS | Loveland | (Dana Stoddard) |
| Cayla Wood | Challenge School | Denver | (Rich Morrow) |
Tae Kim, a sixth grader, was the top student in grade six or below who took the AMC 8 exam.
MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is an after school program for 6th, 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 1,000 students from 159 Colorado schools competed in 2005–2006.
First Place Colorado Team
Benjamin Alpert, Catherine Chen, J.P. Harrington, Willis Kuelthau, Summit MS, Boulder (Silva Chang). Ms. Chang coached the Colorado MATHCOUNTS team (listed below) at the national competition May 11–14 in Arlington, Virginia.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Scott McClary | Fort Morgan MS | Fort Morgan | (Sheila Fenderson) |
| (2) Tom Roberts | Morey MS | Denver | (Kevin Yelenik) |
| (3) Margaret Koehler | Creekside MS | Monument | (Dawn Klein) |
| (4) Eric Sheeder | Mandalay MS | Westminster | (Dana Smith) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Hunter Chase | Stargate Charter School | Thornton | (Scott Christopher) |
| Catherine Chen | Summit MS | Boulder | (Silva Chang) |
| Maya Davis | Logan School | Denver | (Eric Benson) |
| Matthew Farrell | Grand Mesa MS | Grand Junction | (Jeana Atkins) |
| Daniel Gonzales | Grand Mesa MS | Grand Junction | (Jeana Atkins) |
| Nathan Hatch | Webber Junior HS | Fort Collins | (Kerstin Bruxvoort) |
American Mathematics Contest 10
The AMC 10 and AMC 12 are two 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; students in grades 12 and below are eligible for the AMC 12. The contests are given on the Tuesday before the President’s Day holiday. In 2005 approximately 225,000 students from over 1,700 schools nationwide participated in the AMC 10 and AMC 12. Over 1,800 Colorado students from 56 schools participated.
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Marshall Carpenter | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| (1) Sam Elder | Poudre HS | Fort Collins | (Jeff Davis) |
| (3) Amber Verser | Thompson Valley HS | Loveland | (Tom Hanson) |
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Keegan Boyle | Boulder HS | Boulder | (Melissa Warfield) |
| Peter Chan | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournic) |
| Thomas Davids | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| Michael Morton | Rangely HS | Rangely | (David Walck) |
| Charlie Stoddard | Steamboat Springs HS | Steamboat Springs | (Carole Buelter) |
| Norris Xu | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| Spencer Zepelin | Arapahoe HS | Littleton | (Carol Blechschmidt) |
Benjamin Alpert, a seventh grader, was the top student in grade eight or below who took the AMC 10 exam.
American Mathematics Contest 12
First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
Richard Farnsworth, Leonid Ovanesyan, Andrew Scacco, Smoky Hill HS, Aurora (Dennis Gournic)
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Andrew Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournic) |
| (2) Sam Elder | Poudre HS | Fort Collins | (Jeff Davis) |
| (3) Leonid Ovanesyan | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournic) |
Sam Elder and Leonid Ovanesyan, both 10th graders, were the top students in grade 10 or below who took the AMC 12 exam.
Honorable Mention (and Coaches)
| Hannah Alpert | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| Thomas Davids | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| Sarah Hoffman | Cherry Creek HS | Englewood | (Michael Berndt) |
| Andrew Jewett | Grandview HS | Aurora | (Kimberly Mitchell) |
| Adam Pevarnik | Grandview HS | Aurora | (Kimberly Mitchell) |
| Seth O’Brien | Monarch HS | Louisville | (Dan Felknor) |
| Conner Rogers | D’Evelyn Jr.-Sr. HS | Golden | (Rhonda Jacobson) |
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 and 12 exams to students achieving Honor Roll status on the AMC 10 or 12 exams. In 2006, approximately 18,000 students nationwide qualified for the AIME. There were 166 Honor Roll students from Colorado.
USA Mathematical Olympiad
The USA Math Olympiad is a 9-hour, 6-question essay examination given in school 5 weeks after the AIME to the top 375 students participating in the AMC 10 and 12 exams and the AIME. 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 Slovenia. Four students from Colorado qualified to write the 2006 USAMO on April 18–19.
Qualifying Students for the USAMO (and Coaches)
| Marshall Carpenter | Fairview HS | Boulder | (Del Ebadi) |
| Sam Elder | Poudre HS | Fort Collins | (Jeff Davis) |
| Andrew Scacco | Smoky Hill HS | Aurora | (Dennis Gournik) |
| Charlie Stoddard | Steamboat Springs HS | Steamboat Springs | (Carole Buelter) |
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 2006, solutions were submitted by 748 teams, including several from other countries.
Top Colorado Team (and Coach)—Outstanding Ranking
Brian Camley, Pascal Getreuer, Bradley Klingenberg, University of Colorado—Boulder (Prof. Bengt Fornberg)
Outstanding is the highest award level possible. Only 11 of 748 teams worldwide achieved it in 2006. Remarkably, the same team members also received an Outstanding rating in both 2004 and 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 2005 over 3,500 students from 500 institutions participated nationwide. Students from 10 Colorado colleges and universities participated.
First Place Colorado Team (and Coach)
Elizabeth Delk, Ben Joeris, Jonathan Troup, Colorado State University, Fort Collins (Prof. Alexander Hulpke)
Top Colorado Individual Winners (and Coaches)
| (1) Ben Joeris | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |
| (2) Kyle Thayer | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |
| (3) Mark Bailey | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (3) Brian Camley | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (3) Michael Ruston | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (3) Charles Shannon | University of Colorado | Boulder | (Prof. Gordon Brown) |
| (3) Bethany Springer | Colorado State University | Fort Collins | (Prof. Alexander Hulpke) |