MMI Preparatory School’s MATHCOUNTS Team Earns Top Honors with Thomas Rogers Advancing to State Competition

From left to right: Sahiba Kaur, Yaslin Tejeda Nivar, Sophie Schulz, Jade Cabrera, Thomas Rogers, Rian Patel, Ethan Ungemach, and Bobby Brighthaupt stand with their MMI MATHCOUNTS advisor, Mrs. Shannon Falcheck.

MMI Preparatory School’s Head of School, Theresa Long, is pleased to announce that the school’s MATHCOUNTS team earned third place and had an individual student qualify for States in a recent competition at Wyoming Valley West Middle School, showcasing their mathematical talent.

The team of eighth graders included Thomas Rogers (Kingston), Bobby Brighthaupt (Bloomsburg), Yaslin Tejeda Nivar (Hazleton), and Ethan Ungemach (Sugarloaf). As a group, they secured a third-place finish in the team competition. Individually, Thomas Rogers placed ninth overall, qualifying him for the Countdown Round, where he battled through head-to-head matchups against all who placed above him to earn second place. His strong performance earned him a spot in the state competition on March 21-22 in Harrisburg.

“We are incredibly proud of our MATHCOUNTS students for their dedication, teamwork, and perseverance,” said Mrs. Long. “Their achievements in this highly competitive event highlight the strength of MMI’s academic programs and the talent of our students.”

Additional eighth-grade team members Jade Cabrera (Drums) and Sophie Schultz (Freeland) and seventh-graders Sahiba Kauer (Sugarloaf) and Rian Patel (Mountaintop) provided valuable support throughout the competition. The students tackled challenging math problems in both individual and team rounds, demonstrating critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

“This group worked so hard in preparation for the competition, and their efforts truly paid off,” said MATHCOUNTS Advisor Mrs. Shannon Falcheck. “Thomas’s performance in the Countdown Round was incredible to watch, and we are so excited to see him represent MMI at States.”

Thomas Rogers holds trophies for MMI’s third-place team finish, his 9th-place overall finish, and his second-place win in the Countdown Round which qualified him for the state-level MATHCOUNTS Competition.

MATHCOUNTS is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person “bee” style contests. The competition’s main goal is to encourage students to enjoy mathematics by building problem-solving skills and positive attitudes toward the subject. Hundreds of thousands of students in grades six through eight participate in their programs from across the country and U.S. territories.