See the schedules for week1 and for week 2.
WEEK 1 PHOTOS- June 21 photos, June 22 photos, June 23 photos, June 24 photos. At the end of camp, the students did an evaluation using i-clickers. Results are here. Parent evaluations will be merged with parents' evaluations from week 2. Campers could also make written evaluation comments. We had 14 campers for this week.
WEEK 2 PHOTOS- July 5 photos, July 6 photos, July 7 photos, a second set July 7 photos, a third set of July 7 photos, July 8 photos , July 9 photos; Week 2 student evaluations will be posted when available. We had 19 campers for this week.
You can see information from the previous years (2006, 2007, 2008)
For week 1, June 21-26, the camp is aimed at students entering grades 5-8. For week 2, July 5-10, the camp is aimed at students entering grades 7-12. This does give students in grades 7-8 the option of coming to either camp. To keep the size manageable, the camp will be limited to 32 participants each week, so get your application and deposit in early. Information will go out in January at the SBU contests to nearly 700 students. Information should go out at some Chapter MATHCOUNTS® competitions and at some regional MCTM competitions and the state MCTM competition. Other information may go out in the MCTM Bulletin in March and perhaps in the Gifted Association of Missouri Newsletter in March or April. I will also place information about it in the Art of Problem Solving Wiki on math summer programs.
No. In fact you don't even have to enjoy the
competition aspect of math contests. You do need to enjoy math, as that
will be the focus of our time. Math contests will be the source of the
kinds of math problems we look at. Looking at math contest problems you
will see a wide variety of math topics that are not usually covered in the
school classroom, so be prepared to see and learn new mathematics. We
will spend time looking at the problems, learning how to do problems that are
new to people.
You will develop creativity (needed for solving problems), discipline, and
self-confidence as you learn new (difficult) things. Problem solving
(especially problem solving under pressure) is a valuable life skill and that
skill is developed by math contests. We will have opportunities to
practice these skills as we will simulate some contests. You will do some
work with others at the camp to learn from, and be challenged by, your
peers. With all the skills mentioned, we are working on developing these
skills so you do not need to possess all these skills to come and enjoy the
camp.
Dr. Hopkins
has a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Illinois. He has taught
at Southwest Baptist University since Jan. 1989, and has been chair of the
mathematics department since May 1989. In 2000, a student approached him
about SBU hosting a math contest
. In 2009, we will be hosting our 10th annual contest
and are expecting about 700 on two dates. He has put together a webpage
with links to a
variety of contests . In 2003, he approached Bolivar Middle School
about starting a math contest club to help students prepare for MATHCOUNTS®.
In the 2005 competition, in our second year of existence, the team from Bolivar
finished 4th (narrowly missing qualifying for state) at the regional
competition. One student did qualify for state. This same student
had qualified for the MCTM
state contest in 4th-6th grade and placed every year. That is Dr.
Hopkins' son, so he has a personal, as well as professional, interest in
preparing students for math contests. In the 2006 competition, two
students from Bolivar qualified for state MATHCOUNTS®.
One of those finished twelfth in the state. He also ran into some
former students there.
In summer 2004 and 2005, Dr. Hopkins taught a class similar
to this camp in Drury
University's Summerscape Program , a program for middle school students who
have been identified as gifted. He had good success from that and in 2006 brought the camp to the SBU campus. In 2006,
25 campers came, in 2007, 31 campers came, in 2008, 45 campers came during two weeks of camp. In
summers 1993-1999, he directed a series of weeklong summer workshops for about
450 teachers total. Some of these workshops involved the use of
technology in teaching mathematics. Others involved the use of internet
for math and science teachers. He has presented over 40 papers at state
and regional conferences, such as Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Gifted Association of
Missouri. One of these talks was about his experiences
as a MATHCOUNTS coach and evaluation results from the 2004 Summerscape class
are
included there . He has graded AP Calculus exams for one week in the
summer in 2002-2008 (see pictures from 2003 , 2005 , 2006, 2007 ). May
2006, he graded International
Baccalaureate exams for his first time and did that again in 2007 and 2008.
He also enjoys singing math songs .
In December 2006 he was given the Faculty Life Beautiful Award. This award,
given annually, is among the highest honors that SBU bestows upon a faculty
member. Recipients of the Faculty Life Beautiful Award are selected by a
University-wide balloting process under the supervision of the Provost, and the
balloting involves all eligible faculty. Criteria for the award include
"Christlike behavior in family, school, church, and social
interactions," "participates actively in worship and service in a
body of Christian believers," "exhibits a Christlike lifestyle in his
or her personal and daily life." This award was featured in the
March 2007 issue of SBU
Life.
In summer 2006, Dr. Kevin Hopkins did a summer program focusing on math contests on the campus of Southwest Baptist University. Twenty five campers attended. They were from a variety of places: 4 were from Bolivar, 4 were from the Springfield area, 2 were from Mississippi, 1 from Oklahoma, 4 from Northwest Missouri, 3 from Southeast Missouri, 2 from Southcentral Missouri, 2 from Central Missouri, and 3 from the St. Louis area. There were 4 going into 5 grade, 11 going into 6th grade, 4 going into 7th grade, 5 going into 8th grade, and 1 going into 10th grade (came with a younger sibling). We also had 4 counselors, in addition to the camp director. A group photo is posted here . Early in the week I posted photos of the event to let parents check up on the camp and to adverstise for 2007. I have posted brief information on the specific activities at the camp. The camp concluded with a show for parents that gives a good overview of how the camp went. One can also see evaluation results from 2006. Similar results are available for 2007 and 2008.
The cost is $375 for the week. That includes room (3 students per dorm room), board, T-shirt, class photo, and activities. Should students wish to commute to the camp (and not stay in the dorms overnight), the cost will be $325 for the week. A $100 deposit is due with the application form . A detailed information sheet (where, what to bring, telephone #'s, etc.) will be sent upon receiving your application. This is the second year for the camp. Sufficient applicants are needed by May 1, 2009 to proceed with the camp. The deposit will be returned if there are not sufficient applications received by May 1. Cancellations after May 1 may not have the deposit returned. Applications and deposits will be accepted until camp begins if space remains.
|
8-8:45 |
breakfast |
|
9-11:30 |
Class and activities in classroom (in Mabee Chapel or the Wheeler Science Building) |
|
11:30-1 |
Lunch and a break |
|
1-3:30 |
Class |
|
3:30-5:00 |
Recreation time (SBU has a Wellness Center with a pool, gym, and rock climbing wall). Counselors will be assisting with the non-math aspects of the camp to be sure there is sufficient FUN time. But, you should only come to the camp if DOING MATH is FUN, as that will be the major focus of the camp. |
|
5:30-6:30 |
Dinner |
|
6:30-7:30 |
Speaker (1-2 speakers with mathematics background will be planned for some, if not every, evening. They are asked to speak on how math, problem solving, and their Christian faith have interacted in their lives. Dr. Hopkins and some of the counselors may also share on this topic during the week). |
|
7:30-8:00 |
Math relay, group game, or free time |
|
8-10 |
Free time |
|
10 |
Lights Out. Students will be housed in a dorm on campus, three campers per room. There will be a floor for male campers and a separate floor for female campers. There will be dorm workers supervising the students in the dorm at night. The week of the High School camp will have a slightly later lights out time. |
All meals, rooms, instruction and recreation will be on the
campus of Southwest Baptist University. Some recreation time will be in
the Meyer Wellness Center where there is a pool, basketball courts, and a rock
climbing wall.
Campers should arrive 4 p.m. Sunday of the week, eat a pizza supper, then
a get acquainted time, and a skills test to divide the campers into two groups
for the week. Camp will conclude at 11 a.m. Friday of the week.
There will be a closing ceremony Friday 10-11 a.m.
The camp will be held on the campus of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO,
but is not sponsored by SBU. It is the personal work of Dr. Hopkins,
Chair of the Mathematics Department at Southwest Baptist University.
Bolivar is 130 miles from Kansas City, 190 miles from St. Louis, and 25 miles
north of Springfield. The Lake of the Ozarks and Branson are nearby attractions
families could visit before or after dropping their camper off.
Although not officially sponsoring the camp, Southwest Baptist University is
the location of the facilities. Offering Christian higher education since
1878, Southwest Baptist University serves an enrollment of 3,400 students with
graduate and undergraduate programs. The views or beliefs set forth in
this web page do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of Southwest
Baptist University.
Since MATHCOUNTS® teams are in existence already at many schools, it is possible that a coach might want to come to camp with their team. Teachers might want to come without a team, just to learn from the camp. Teachers have two options:
· They can sign up for a class and get graduate credit (3 hours at about $170 per hour). This will require additional work and the room/board fee will be waived and additional stipend will be paid. Amount of stipend will depend on number of students attending the camp.
· They can come to work (helping with recreation, math instruction, and dorm supervision during the camp) and receive a stipend for their work. Amount of stipend will depend on number of students attending the camp.
If any teacher is interested in attending to learn or to help, please contact me at khopkins@sbuniv.edu , so I can know that while I work on finalizing camp details.
I have lots of ideas that I am thinking about. Part of what we do will depend on the size of the camp, the interest of the campers, and the interest of any teacher/helpers there might be. Some of my ideas are to look at math games (like Set, Xactika, Nim, Twenty Four, and Pig), geoboard, logic activities, geometry activities (even on computers), statistics activities (even on computers), mathematical magic, sudukos, build polyhedra, do origami, learn about tesselations, measure tall buildings, learn about animation, sing math songs and write math stories, try our hand at logic puzzles, and investigate deciphering codes.
I hope so. I feel that God has opened up many doors for me to pursue this dream and it has been successful since 2006. I think there are students in Missouri and beyond who would love the opportunities provided by this camp. Feel free to contact me ( mailto:khopkins@sbuniv.edu ) if you have any suggestions to make and perhaps I can incorporate them as I work on the details for the camp. You may also call him at (417) 328-1675 or fax him at (417) 328-1658.
An application form and liability release form is available here. At the time of application a $100 deposit will be required. Dr. Hopkins has determined that sufficient numbers need to apply by May 1 for the camp to proceed. If low numbers force the cancellation of the camp at this time, the deposit will be returned. If a camper cancels after May 1, the deposit may not be returned as commitments (and expenses) will already be made based on that reservation. If numbers are sufficient to offer the camp and additional space remains, applications (with the deposit) will be received until the camp begins.
Math Contest Camp is not sponsored by, or affiliated with, the MATHCOUNTS® Foundation or with the AMC 10/12, or with any of the other contests.
This camp is the personal work of Dr. Hopkins. This page is produced by Dr.
Kevin W. Hopkins of Southwest Baptist
University. It was last modified on June 5, 2009.
