March 20, 2017
These students were the top four contestants in the recent Wyoming State Mathcounts
competition at the University of Wyoming, and will represent the state at the national
competition in Orlando, Fla. From left, Evan Thomas from Cheyenne’s McCormick Junior
High School; Kephas Olsson from Lander Middle School; Gracie Zhang from Laramie Junior
High School; Matt Cathey from Twin Spruce Junior High School (Gillette); and coach
Kathleen McKinley from McCormick Junior High School. (Jeff Anderson Photo)
McCormick Junior High School of Cheyenne won the team championship, and Lander’s Kephas
Olsson took home first-place individual honors at the Wyoming State Mathcounts competition
at the University of Wyoming.
The competition, which took place March 4, featured 13 teams from around the state.
The event is open to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students.
Evan Thomas (McCormick Junior High School) took second; Gracie Zhang (Laramie Junior
High School) placed third; and Matt Cathey of Twin Spruce Junior High School (Gillette)
garnered fourth place.
The top four individual winners earn the opportunity to represent Wyoming at the national
competition May 13-16 in Orlando, Fla. The students will be accompanied by Kathleen
McKinley, who coached the McCormick Junior High team.
Powell Middle School was second in the team competition, followed by Laramie Junior
High School, Lander Middle School and Davis Middle School (Evanston).
“Mathcounts gives students the opportunity to grasp how important math is to everyday
life,” says Jeff Anderson, state Mathcounts coordinator in the UW College of Engineering
and Applied Science.
