There are a lot of fun things to know about 13-year-old Peter Essa of Decorah. The St. Ben's 8th grader has a sister, has a dog, enjoys culturally diverse foods, loves to play soccer with Decorah United, and likes to spend time exploring Seed Savers Exchange. And although Essa isn't a big fan of sugar, he certainly hit a sweet spot while participating in the Iowa MATHCOUNTS competition earlier this year.
Essa competed against approximately 120 other students from all over Iowa this past March. Using a "lucky" MATHCOUNTS pencil that he found on the floor a couple years ago, Essa eventually finished in 10th place in the entire state.
But it definitely wasn't a lucky pencil that helped Essa earn such a high placement. Essa's love of math started long before this year's competition. Essa said, "I have always enjoyed math. I really started to look forward to it and take it more seriously in fifth grade when I first had Mrs. Lien. She really boosted my confidence and encouraged me to enjoy it."
And Essa does enjoy it. His favorite things in the math world right now are geometry and looking at shapes. He said he also likes algebra and its multiple step equations. This is all fitting as he plans on pursuing a career in engineering, which he points out requires a lot of math skills.
When asked how it felt to place 10th and what he did to celebrate afterwards, Essa said, "I guess I felt really good though I did get quite nervous when they called my name. To celebrate, I just had dinner with my grandparents and my family." Hopefully some of that culturally diverse cuisine mentioned above.
Essa would love to see other students give MATHCOUNTS a try. He used the words "fun, nerve-racking, and mentally taxing" to describe the whole thing. He said, "I think that everyone should try it out." He joked, "You get to miss a day of school and take multiple math tests. I mean, what's not to love?" Back to being serious, Essa added, "MATHCOUNTS has also helped make math more enjoyable. I'd like to thank Mrs. Lien for really encouraging me to enjoy math more."
The MATHCOUNTS program is a nationwide program aimed at instilling a love of math among middle school students, building problem solving skills and positive attitudes about math. More information about the program and how to participate can be found here.