Fort Couch Mathematicians Win First Place in MATHCOUNTS in the Region
With the help of their coaches, math resource teachers Mrs. Kathy Hoedeman and Ms. Yasmina Hough, Boyce and Fort Couch students solved their way through numerous MATHCOUNTS workouts and warm-ups in preparation for the prestigious competition on February 14, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society of
Professional Engineers. The result was the Fort Couch team earning a first place ranking.
On Saturday, February 14, Fort Couch 7th and 8th graders Jason Choi, Sam Ding, Julia Fennell, Dina Leyzarovich, Serena Luo, Mallika Matharu, Vikram Reddy, Aleksa Rodic, Riwk Sen, and Braden Yates, and Boyce 6th graders Christian Chiu, Harrison Chui, Jonah Murray, and Jack Myers participated in the Sprint and Target Rounds of MATHCOUNTS. One team of four students from each school then competed in the Team Round allowing for group collaboration. The culmination of the competition was the Countdown Round, a fast-paced competition for the top-ten scoring individuals. In this round, pairs of “Mathletes” compete against each other and the clock.
Upper St. Clair is proud to announce that Fort Couch team took first place at the MATHCOUNTS 
competition! Braden Yates, Dina Leyzarovich, Jason Choi, and Sam Ding will continue on to the State Competition in Harrisburg at the end of March to compete against the top teams from each regional competition!
In addition, three students finish in the top-10 individuals. Sixth grader Jonah Murray was thrilled to hear he earned his seat in the Countdown Round in his first year at this competition. Braden Yates and Sam Ding, both eager returning-competitors, held their heads high as they claimed their seats, both boys improving their seat positions from last year. Braden was 5th seat and Sam was 2nd seat at the start of the Countdown Round. All three boys competed in the intense, pressure-filled Countdown Round. Starting with seats 10 and 9, students had to buzz in with a correct answer before their competitor answered in a best-of-3 round. The winner of the pair went on to compete with the next best seat. Braden advanced his seat to 4th place and Sam finished in 2nd place, earning themselves monetary prizes and a spot at the MathCounts State Competition in Harrisburg on March 27 – 28!
Top picture - The Fort Couch MATHCOUNTS First Place Team: sponsor Ms. Yasmina Hough, Sam Ding, Dina Leyzarovich, Braden Yates, Jason Choi, and MATHCOUNTS event coordinator Mrs. Virginia Dailey.
Bottom picture - Fort Couch and Boyce Competitors in MATHCOUNTS include
Front Row: Christian Chiu, Harrison Chui, Jack Myers, and Jonah Murray
Middle Row: Mallika Matharu, Serena Luo, Dina Leyzarovich, Julia Fennell
Back Row: Riwk Sen, Jason Choi, Sam Ding, Braden Yates, Vikram Reddy, Aleksa Rodic
