Class notes

San Mateo High School has some of the best high-school mathematicians in the country, as demonstrated by their 23rd-place finish in the 2009 Ciphering Time Trials, a national mathematics contest administered by National Assessment & Testing. Coach Valerie Cintas prepared students for the last major competition of 2009, consisting of 10 rounds in which they had three minutes to solve three problems. The problems in each round covered a range of difficulties in diverse topics, challenging the most-experienced students to answer all three questions within the time limit and requiring less-experienced students to quickly decide which problems they’ll need to skip.

After results from students across the country were double-checked, Siyao Chang had the highest score at San Mateo, helping the team to place 23rd among the top schools in the country.  San Mateo will be participating in National Assessment & Testing’s next contest, the 2010 Four-by-Four Competition, on Thursday, Feb. 5, which offers a similar contest format to teams of four rather than to individual students.

National Assessment & Testing administers a number of high-quality mathematics competitions that schools can receive through the mail and administer at their convenience.  Their contests cover a variety of formats, including individual and team tests, as well as different levels of difficulty, from an easier 100 problems in 30 minutes to a more complicated 15 problems in one week.

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Marking the 10th anniversary of its Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Program, Kohl’s Department Stores will award more than $410,000 in scholarships and prizes, ranging from $50 Kohl’s gift cards to 10 $10,000 scholarships, recognizing youths who make a difference by volunteering in their communities. Nominations for kids ages 6 to 18 will be accepted Feb. 1 to March 15 at kohlskids.com. Kohl’s continues its scholarship program and will double national scholarship amounts to $10,000 each during a time when rising tuition costs, tightening credit and less financial aid availability makes footing the average $60,000 bill for a four-year degree increasingly difficult.   

"Over the past 10 years of the Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Program, we’ve been truly encouraged and touched by the selfless and inspirational acts of thousands of kids who have touched countless lives,” said Julie Gardner, Kohl’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "We’re honored to be celebrating a decade of recognizing the volunteer initiatives of stand-up kids across the country. Whether organizing a local food drive, helping a younger child to read or cleaning up a community park, every contribution makes a difference, and we encourage parents, teachers, neighbors and friends to nominate outstanding young volunteers in their community at kohlskids.com.”

To nominate young volunteers ages 6 to 18 for a Kohl’s Kids Who Care scholarship visit www.kohlskids.com.

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The San Carlos/Eaton Hills 4-H Community service project, a group of eight youths ages 11 through 16, is trying to do their part to help the people of Haiti start the long road to recovery after the devastating earthquake they just experienced. The team led a donation drive at the club’s monthly meeting to raise the money for the relief effort. The goal was to raise $444 to be donated to the Red Cross disaster relief fund. Members were thrilled to report that they nearly doubled their goal and collected over $800.

The group collected a wide range of donations, including a parent’s check and a child’s bag of coins from his piggy bank. The club’s local community service spirit shined brightly.

The San Carlos/Eaton Hills 4H club, with 117 members, is part of the San Mateo County 4-H system which comprises 10 clubs throughout the region. 4-H strives to develop leadership and life skills through hands-on projects and community service.  

Kate Lyn Sutherland, Ashley Cochran, Kelsey Cochran, Maeve Keegan, Anya Knoth, Sarah Sutherland, Peter Warrick and Lucas Zalesny all participated.

Class notes is a twice weekly column dedicated to school news. It is compiled by education reporter Heather Murtagh. You can contact her at (650) 344-5200, ext. 105 or at heather@smdailyjournal.com.