News Release
For immediate release
Governor Daniels announces 2008 Indiana Mr. Math
INDIANAPOLIS (May 27, 2008) - Governor Mitch Daniels made a surprise
visit to Zionsville Community High School today to announce that senior
Samuel Dittmer is "Indiana Mr. Math," the inaugural winner of the annual
Hoosier High School Math Award.
Dittmer, the Zionsville Community High School valedictorian, was
selected from among 190 candidates by a panel of high school mathematics
teachers, university mathematics professors, Department of Education
staff, and math professionals. The winners were chosen solely on the
basis of academic achievement and test scores. McGraw-Hill Education is
providing the winner with a $2,000 academic scholarship.
"It's past time to give our top math and science students at least as
much praise and recognition as we have always showered on our athletes.
Honestly, Indiana and America's future success is far more dependent on
young people like Sam," said Daniels, who will travel to Terre Haute
this afternoon to present the Hoosier High School Science Award.
Dittmer is the son of Phil and Janet Dittmer. He plans to attend Brigham
Young University.
Selection criteria included SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement scores,
awards and prizes earned, and grades in math. Dittmer scored a 800/800
on the SAT II, 5/5 on the Advanced Placement Calculus BC exam, and
earned all no grade lower than an "A" as a student of Zionsville
Community High School. He is a multi-year qualifier for the United
States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), the IUPUI High School
Math Contest Champion, Indiana Math Super Bowl Team captain and
champion, and he was the American Regions Math League (ARML) National
Individual Round Champion in 2006.
The awards were developed with input from the Indiana Science Technology
Engineering Mathematics (I-STEM) Network, the Hoosier Association of
Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI), the Indiana Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (ICTM) and the Indiana Association of Public School
Superintendents.
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