MathCounts wins 1st place first time since 2013

    HARLAN  —   The Harlan Community Middle School 8th grade MathCounts team recently brought home the first place trophy from the Southwest Iowa Regional Competition held at the Boys and Girls Club in Council Bluffs on March 2. The last time HCMS won this event was in 2013.
    Harlan Community sent 14 sixth-eighth grade students to compete in the regional event.
    The winning four-person team included Ben Schmitz, Lucas Paulsen, Suzy Kenkel, and Jada Morenz. In addition to winning the team competition, HCMS had four individuals place in the top ten by scoring high in the sprint round and the target round. Ben Schmitz earned the highest score of the day and placed first as an individual followed by Lucas Paulsen in second, Suzy Kenkel in fourth place, and Jada Morenz in 8th.
    These students, along with 7th grader Frannie Wegner, have all earned the right to compete at the State MathCounts Competition in Ankeny on March 23.
    MathCounts is a national program that provides students in 6th-8th grade the opportunity to compete in live, in-person math contests against and alongside their peers. The competition consists of four rounds-Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown. Rounds are timed, and some allow the use of calculators while other rounds do not.
    While students were waiting for the results to be tabulated, they were treated to an interactive presentation on fingerprinting by a Crime Scene Investigator from the Council Bluffs Police Department.