WALTHAM, Mass., May 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's best and brightest middle school math students, better known as Mathletes^®, will come together in Orlando, Fla., May 8-11 to compete for the titles of National Champion and top team in the 2014 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is title sponsor of the competition through 2018, as a core component of the company's MathMovesU^® program, an initiative designed to inspire the next generation of technologists and innovators.   

The final 224 competitors represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and schools from the Departments of Defense and State. They have prevailed in competitions involving some 100,000 students from more than 5,000 schools at the local and state levels to earn the right to compete in Orlando.

"The Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition brings together some of our nation's brightest young mathematicians," said Lou DiGioia, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. "Through our partnership with Raytheon, we can continue to offer fun and challenging programs to students across the country so that all children have access to future opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

ESPN3 will webcast live coverage of the Countdown Round, the finale of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition on Friday, May 9, at 2 p.m. EDT. ESPN3.com is the same network that carries the early rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Also to be determined will be the winner of the 2014 Math Video Challenge, a program in which teams of middle school students create original videos that demonstrate the real-world application of a math concept as described in the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook. An online voting process that garnered more than 70,000 votes selected four finalist teams; each will present its video on Saturday, May 10. The winning video will be selected by the 224 Mathletes at the 2014 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition.

In addition to incredible bragging rights, the winners of the 2014 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition will receive substantial prizes: the National Champion will receive the $20,000 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 also receive college scholarships. Math Video Challenge finalists have already receives an all-expense paid trip to the 2014 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition, and each member of the winning team will be awarded a $1,000 college scholarship.

To spread the spirit of the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition, the company is introducing the world to the Mathletes on Twitter with the hashtag #MeetTheMathletes.

About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is a nonprofit organization that strives to engage middle school students of all ability and interest levels in fun, challenging math programs, in order to expand their academic and professional opportunities. Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. For more than 30 years MATHCOUNTS has provided free, high-quality resources to educators and enriching, extracurricular opportunities to students to lay a foundation for future success. Materials and information are available at 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 @MathMovesU.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 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 cyber security and 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 @Raytheon.

Media Contact
Tina Martineau
+1.781.522.6490
corporatepr@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company