The Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb won the Alpha Chapter Mathcounts competition on Jan. 26 at Kennebec Valley Community College.

Middle schoolers Maren Cooper of Westport Island, Jackson Ross of Boothbay Harbor, Calla Ruff of Bath, and Ian VonFrank of Alna, CTL’s official team of four, took the prize for first place team, and displayed impressive camaraderie, cooperation, and knowledge.

Since each school is only allowed to enter one team, CTL students also formed an “unofficial” team that also placed first in the unofficial team category.

In addition, CTL students placed in the top ten Countdown Round, which is similar to a Jeopardy game competition, with individual participants, quick questions, and buzzers. Eighth graders Ian VonFrank and Maren Cooper placed in the top ten and sixth grader Nico Herrera of Brunswick placed among the top twenty individual scorers.

CTL is consistently among the smallest schools participating in local Mathcounts competitions, yet has achieved increasingly excellent results due to the students’ passion for the subject, hard work, and strong math program. The next step for CTL’s mathletes is the state competition on March 9, where they’ll again be coached by parent Patrick Sanborn and Katie Rittershaus, teacher of grades 5-8 math.