Team A from Pierce County High School captured first place in South Georgia State College’s High School Mathematics Tournament hosted earlier this spring on SGSC’s Waycross Campus.
A total of 71 students from Brantley, Charlton, Pierce, and Ware Counties participated in the two-part competition. The first part included each student completing a 75-minute, 40-question multiple choice exam. The exam covered topics in the high school curriculum – algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus. Willie White of Pierce County High School captured first place. Emma Tyrone (Pierce), Cody Page (Ware), Artie Riechert (Pierce), and Fisher Crews (Pierce) rounded out the top five individual winners.
Recognition was also given to those students who had the highest exam score from their school. Cyrus Crall (Brantley), Thomas Smith (Charlton), Willie White (Pierce), and Cody Page (Ware) were the high scorers for their respective schools.
The top two scoring teams from each school based on the written exam competed in a team-oriented “ciphering round.” The teams were given the same ten questions and three minutes to answer each one. The number of points awarded was determined by how fast the teams could answer each question correctly.
A combined score from the written exam and the ciphering round determined the overall team winners. In addition to Pierce County Team A, other team winners were Ware County Team A (second place), Pierce County Team B (third place), Pierce County Team C (fourth place), and Ware County Team E (fifth place).
Diane Griffis of Pierce County was presented with the Dr. Barbara Losty Coach Award. The award is named in memory of the second president of the former Waycross College who passed away in September 2019.
This was the first in-person high school mathematics tournament since February 2020. The 2021 tournament was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.