News release
Rancho Pico Junior High School earned top honors at the San Fernando Valley MathCounts competition, taking first place among 21 schools and 220 competitors on Saturday, Feb. 7, at California State University, Northridge.
“This achievement reflects months of preparation, dedication and commitment to academic excellence,” said a news release from the William S. Hart Union High School District.
The annual MathCounts competition brought together middle school mathematicians from across the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Students represented private, public, charter and magnet schools, the release said.
Representing Rancho Pico were Lilliana Jun, Christopher Lew, Hope Shu and Pradyun Theerthala, coached by Erin McHorney.
“Throughout multiple challenging rounds designed to test speed, strategy and deep mathematical reasoning, the team demonstrated exceptional collaboration, focus, and composure under pressure,” the release said.
Four of the top 12 students were from the Hart district: three from Rancho Pico, and one from Rio Norte Junior High School.
Lew earned a second-place overall finish in the individual competition. Chetan Somysetty, of Rio Norte, won the Countdown round, where students compete in a head-to-head battle of accuracy and speed.
With this first-place finish, Rancho Pico has qualified to advance to the California MathCounts State Competition, where the team will compete against the top schools in California on March 21 in Riverside. The state round represents the highest level of MathCounts competition in California and brings together the most accomplished middle school mathematicians from across the state, the release said.
