MEEKER | After years without a Math Counts program, Barone Middle School students are once again racing the clock and tackling challenging problems — thanks to two juniors at Meeker High School who decided to bring it back. Their early success? Middle school students Miles Etchart placed 15th and Xander Borchard 18th at the Western Slope Chapter competition held in Grand Junction Feb. 7, earning spots at the state competition this past weekend March 28 at Colorado School of Mines.
For a program that hadn’t existed in years, it was a statement. The return didn’t happen by chance.
“Honestly, the program started when I was thinking about how I could give back to my community,” said Meeker High School junior Said Rodriguez, who helped revive the club alongside Tucker Chinn. “Math Counts popped into my head. Tucker and I both grew up doing it before COVID, and unfortunately it came to an end after.”
For Chinn, the motivation was rooted in those same experiences.
“Bringing back Math Counts was important to us because we remembered all the memories and fun we had when we were their age,” Chinn said. “We learned and had fun beyond just the math, and those memories are what drove us to bring it back.”
After years without a program, the two juniors stepped in as co-head coaches — rebuilding the club from the ground up while balancing their own high school schedules.
“Said and I switch off practices and take turns making lesson plans,” Chinn said. “It makes teaching more efficient and the responsibility less, since we can depend on each other.”
Getting the program off the ground wasn’t easy.
“The biggest challenge was getting kids interested and handling all the forms that had to get done,” Chinn said. “At first, students were unsure of what the program would be, but now they’re enthusiastic and having fun with it.”
That energy quickly translated into commitment. Students showed up twice a week before school, working through challenging problems while also taking part in interactive activities designed to keep practices engaging.
“We put in a lot of time, effort and energy,” Rodriguez said. “But it wasn’t just us — the students showed up every Tuesday and Thursday at seven in the morning ready to work. They were willing to learn, and that made it easy.”
To keep that momentum, Rodriguez and Chinn mixed traditional competition prep with games and team-based challenges.
“We made it engaging by doing competitions for rewards, Kahoots, escape rooms — anything that was fun,” Rodriguez said.
By the time competition season arrived, the impact of that work was clear.
“When we brought 14 kids to the chapter competition and had two qualify for state, that’s when it felt like the program was truly back,” Chinn said.
At the state competition, Borchard and Etchart faced off against some of the top middle school students in Colorado.
“Xander and Miles placed 100th and 101st out of 137 kids,” Chinn said. “I was very happy with their performance, considering they’re competing against the smartest kids their age in the entire state.”
For Rodriguez, the results were about more than placement.
“When Xander and Miles qualified for state, I was very proud of them,” he said. “I could take all the credit, but it was really them trying their best.”
By the time the state competition concluded, it was clear the Math Counts revival had already made its mark. Students had not only returned to a program that had been absent for years but had embraced it with dedication, energy, and enthusiasm.
Miles Etchart and Xander Borchard’s performances at both the Western Slope Chapter and state competitions demonstrated the potential of Barone’s students when given the opportunity and support to challenge themselves. Beyond the scores, the program had restored a space for learning, teamwork, and confidence in mathematics — a space that juniors Said Rodriguez and Tucker Chinn hoped would continue for years to come.
With a successful first year back, the Barone Math Counts club now has momentum, a growing roster of engaged students, and a renewed presence in the local academic community. The foundation has been set for future participants to build on, ensuring that the lessons, challenges, and excitement of Math Counts remain a part of Barone Middle School long after this year’s competitors have moved on.
The ballroom at the Colorado School of Mines was filled with 137 middle school students competing in the Math Counts state competition March 28.
Miles Etchart and Xander Borchard qualified for state level competition at Math Counts. Etchart placed 15th and Borchard placed 18th.