Saint Patrick student does well in MATHCOUNTS competition

Mar. 11—A Terre Haute eighth grader was among the top finishers at the state MATHCOUNTS competition.

Michelle Park of Saint Patrick Catholic School was in the top individual finishers among 109 Indiana middle school students competing in the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers' state competition, hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday.

Park finished 17th after completing three rounds of competition: sprint, testing quickness to solve problems; target, testing problem-solving skills; and team, testing teamwork abilities.

Saint Patrick and Honey Creek Middle School were Wabash Valley teams among the 30 competing schools after qualifying from an earlier regional contest.

Indianapolis' Sycamore School took home top team honors this year, followed by Creekside Middle School of Carmel and West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School.

Organized by ISPE and Rose-Hulman's Department of Mathematics, MATHCOUNTS is one of the nation's largest partnerships that increases academic and professional opportunities for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Sponsors were Toyota Motor Corporation, Tabco, ISPE and Rose-Hulman.