A team of five Bellefontaine Middle School students recently competed in the Mathcounts 2020-21 competition, a national math competition to demonstrate mathematical understanding and problem solving skills. Simon Kauffman was the top placer for the school and had the chance to represent BMS at the virtual Dayton Regional Competition. As a result of the pandemic, this was the first year students participated virtually in the two-part math competition. Participants began with 40 minutes to solve 30 questions without a calculator followed by 24 minutes to solve eight questions with a calculator. This year, all questions (ranging from number theory, coordinate geometry, quadratic expressions and more) were completed individually. The Mathcounts at BMS is the only Mathcounts club in Logan County and is inclusive to all students grades six through eight, with no pre-requisites to join. To prepare for the competition, coaches Lawrence Miller and Jessica Haushalter-Miller created lessons both online and in person to accommodate the “mathletes.” (BELLEFONTAINE SCHOOLS PHOTO)