WALTHAM, Mass., May 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will host the nation's top 224 middle school math minds as the title sponsor of the 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition May 10-13 at the Walt Disney World^® Swan and Dolphin Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The MATHCOUNTS finalists are vying for the titles of 2012 National Champion and National Championship Team.

Finalists competing at this year's national competition have advanced beyond approximately 100,000 middle school students from more than 6,000 schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and schools from the Department of Defense and State Department, and have won their school, local and state competitions.

The 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition is partnering for the second year with ESPN to distribute live coverage of the event. The Countdown Round takes place Friday, May 11, at 2 p.m. EDT. It will be carried live exclusively on ESPN3.com, which is the same network that carries the early rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

Extending the reach of the National Competition experience, this year MATHCOUNTS has introduced a new element to the competition, the Reel Math Challenge video competition. Middle school students across the country were invited to create tutorial videos about math problems and their associated concepts that were based on the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook. Following an online voting process, four finalist videos have been selected by a panel of MATHCOUNTS judges. The finalists will be screened on Saturday, May 12, at which time the 2012 Mathletes will vote for the winning video.

"The Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition is the ultimate stage for our nation's rising young math stars to demonstrate their talents and achieve more in mathematics," said Lou DiGioia, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. "Our partnership with Raytheon enables us to continue to inspire excellence, curiosity and confidence in mathematics in U.S. middle school students and to help provide today's students with the foundation for successful careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

The individual Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition Champion will receive the $8,000 Donald G. Weinert Scholarship to the college of his or her choice along with a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. Runners-up, as well as members of the winning team, will receive college scholarships and trips to attend space camp. Reel Math Challenge finalist team members received an all-expenses paid trip to the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition in Walt Disney World^® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and an HTC Flyer tablet; each member of the winning video's team will also receive a $1,000 college scholarship.

To celebrate the 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition, Raytheon is inviting both adults and middle school students to compete in an interactive Facebook challenge based on real MATHCOUNTS competition questions on the MathMovesU^® Facebook page. Users will be able to answer questions, earn and share badges, advance to higher playing levels and challenge their friends.

Raytheon is the title sponsor of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition through 2014. The competition sponsorship is one of the centerpieces of Raytheon's MathMovesU initiative, which seeks to elevate students' interest in math and science education through hands-on, interactive activities.

About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS^® is a non-profit national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory, and is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students in America. MATHCOUNTS offers teachers, kids and parents free materials to aid them in math enrichment and prepare for a high-tech future that will require mathematics related skills to achieve success. Materials and information are available at the newly redesigned website www.mathcounts.org.

About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU^® program is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience MathAlive!™; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™ experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot^®, which showcases math in action as students design and experience their own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game, a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place™ presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on Twitter at @MathMovesU.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter at @raytheon.

Media Contacts

Raytheon Company
Kristyn Lao
781.522.5126
corporatepr@raytheon.com

InkHouse
Scott Montminy
781.966.4100
raytheonpr@inkhouse.net

 

SOURCE Raytheon Company