Campbell Smith, a fifth grade student in the Thomas County Middle School MERIT program, has qualified for finals with MathCON. MathCON is a popular math competition that consists of two rounds: the first round is an online test that students take in their schools.  Students who score in the top ten from each region of the United States advance to the final competition. Georgia is in the Southeast Region.  Smith scored in the 99th percentile on the first round exam and is the only fifth grade student from the state of Georgia to qualify for finals.  Thomas County Middle School had sixty-six other students receive honorable mention on the first round exam.  

TCMS math department chairperson Leslie Elkins coordinated the MathCON competition at the school.  She said, “We are very proud of Campbell’s success with MathCON.  For him to be the only fifth grade qualifier in the state of Georgia is a huge accomplishment, not only for him, but for our school system as well.”

Teresa Rieber is Smith’s math teacher. Of his success, she says, “Campbell has been in math club this year and has been very focused on solving math problems that involve higher order thinking skills.  He is an exceptional student who has shown dedication in all of his academic classes and competitions.”

The final round for MathCON will take place in Chicago, Illinois on April 23.