CLEARFIELD – Elliot Thorp, a graduating senior of the Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School, has competed at MathCON in Chicago for five years.
Thorp was recognized for his mathematics achievements by members of the Clearfield school board during its meeting this past Monday night.
MathCON is a non-profit national mathematics organization recognized for its annual student math competition for students in grades 5-12, with more than 200,000 participants since 2008.
It’s a mathematics platform, including a competition series and educational resources and opportunities for students and educators, developed to enhance mathematics education.
Its vision is to build a collaborative mathematics community for students and educators in order to support, advocate and influence STEM education in the United States.
Thorp thanked the district for the opportunity to compete and gauge Clearfield’s status against the rest of the nation. “I think it speaks volumes that I’ve placed consistently in the mid-20’s.
“It shows our potential and how well our school raises its students.” Board member Mary Anne Jackson thanked Thorp for being such a great representation for the district.
This year, Thorp finished in 21st place – the best he’s ever done – and he also received an honorable mention to have a spot on the podium.
Math teacher Judi Bookhamer said it was so much fun to see her student’s name “flash up” there in the competition’s results: “Elliot Thorp, Clearfield Area.”
She said he’s provided with a “practice test” at the beginning of the year, and its problems are just “phenomenal.” She said she, along with other math teachers, “go to bat” to really prepare him.
“Congratulations, you’ve made the district proud of what you’ve achieved,” expressed board President Larry Putt. Thorp has future plans to attend Bucknell University for mechanical engineering.
Thorp resides in Clearfield with his parents, Ron and Lisa.
