|
Addicted to Numbers: Confessions of a Metrobank Math Challenge Champ
Metrobank Math Challenge
"Compared to us, she was like a goddess of Math. She multiplied faster than a calculator. She was always cool and composed; she would smile and sometimes even hum her favorite tune in the middle of the competition. We would be hysterical over the questions that came our way.”
 |
Henry Jefferson Morco with his fellow MMC winners in the Grade 6 individual category of MMC
|
|
|
So described Henry Jefferson Morco of his former schoolmate Nelly Chua, one of the people who inspired the now self-confessed “numbers addict.” The 2008 Metrobank Math Challenge (MMC) first placer in the individual category at the elementary level, Henry remembered watching his “idol” during the first MMC competition he joined back in Grade 1.
The Metrobank Math Challenge is an annual math competition sponsored by the Metrobank Foundation and conducted in partnership with the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP), Department of Education (DepEd), and First Metro Investment Corporation (FMIC). The contest aims to awaken greater interest in math among elementary and high school students from across the country and to discover Mathematical talents among the youth. Previously conducted in the National Capital Region, the Math Challenge was expanded to include elementary and high school students nationwide starting in 2001.
After passing the screening test given by his school, Henry became part of the team that represented Chiang Kai Shek College in the grade school category. Since then, solving complicated Math problems became part of Henry’s daily routines. And while he and his teammates did not win in their first try, Henry knew he would be in the competition each year. “After my first contest, I knew it was going to be fun. I discovered Math and it smiled back at me.”
Indeed,number-crunching has endeared itself to Henry, who went on to compete and win in regional math competitions such as the 2008 Australian Math Competition where he garnered the highest honor as well as the 2nd Hua Luo Geng Mathematics Elite Invitational Competition in Beijing, China where he also
brought home first honors.
“Math is not supposed to be rigid and rote. It is flexible and has a life of its own,” Henry said, adding that taking part in these competitions has taught him “many of life’s lessons that extend far beyond mathematics and the academic world.”
“I have learned to befriend competitors. I have realized that we only reap what we sow. That failure is the beginning of success. That we have to get to the bottom of the problem,” Henry enumerated, sharing how losing does not mean the fight is over. After all, he stated, “bilog ang bola.”
Now a high school freshman, Henry looks forward to competing in the secondary division of the Metrobank Math Challenge next year. “It is such a wonderful event, simply worth being a part of. Despite the difficulties and failures, it is a truly enriching experience to have.”
The 2009 Metrobank Math Challenge is now open for applications. The deadline for submission to all DepEd Divisions is from December1-5, 2008. For further details, please contact the DepEd Division Math Supervisors nearest your locality or write or call Sr. Iluminada C. Coronel, F.M.M., MTAP President, c/o Stella Maris College, Cambridge St., Cubao, Quezon City with telefax no. (02) 912-5249; 709-0447 or e-mail at iccoronel_mtaphil@yahoo.com or the MBFI Secretariat at (02)898-8898/750-0837 or email: clbugaoan@metrobank.com.ph / aareyes@metrobank.com.ph / idlabitad@metrobank.com.ph
The Metrobank Foundation is the corporate social responsibly arm of the Metrobank Group of Companies. Over the last 30 years, it has promoted a culture of excellence among Filipinos through its various programs notably the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, The Outstanding Philippine Soldier, Country's Outstanding Policemen in Service, the Metrobank Math Challenge, and College Scholarship Program. The Foundation also has a grants program that assists NGOs and government in the fields of education, healthcare, and the arts. Metrobank Foundation celebrates Filipino excellence and presents wellsprings of hope in the future of our nation.
|
go to program:
