All-girls math contest draws a crowd — PHOTOS
Third- and fourth-grade girls cooperate to complete the team portion of the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Third- and fourth-grade girls cooperate to complete the team portion of the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
A group of fourth-grade girls cooperates to complete the team portion of the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Anele Williams takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
A classroom of girls is seen taking an exam through a window during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Anele Williams takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, left, stands with Mia Lorenzo, the eighth-grade winner of the Orange County Math Circle all-girls math tournament held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, right, stands with Madeline Young, the seventh-grade winner of the Orange County Math Circle all-girls math tournament held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, right, stands with Elizabeth Ha, the sixth-grade winner of the Orange County Math Circle all-girls math tournament held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, right, stands with Marina Saeger, the fifth-grade winner of the Orange County Math Circle all-girls math tournament held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, right, stands with Ashrita Kalakuntla, the fourth-grade winner of the Orange County Math Circle all-girls math tournament held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Parents and students sign in before the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Parents and students sign in before the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. The free event is open to all third- through eighth-grade students and is intended to encourage female students to develop skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Hikmet Erdogan, the organizer of the event, gathers exams before the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. The free event is open to all third- through eighth-grade students and is intended to encourage female students to develop skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
A classroom of girls prepares to take an exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Megan Sunkara takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Megan Sunkara takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Kayla Yao takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Maiko Utsumi takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Kristin Springer takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Kristin Springer takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Anele Williams takes a written exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
A classroom of girls prepares to take an exam during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks speaks to a room full of third- through eighth-grade girls and their families during the Orange County Math Circle, an all-girls math tournament being held for the first time in southern Nevada at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 24, 2016. (Daniel Clark/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @DanJClarkPhoto
More than 270 girls from 38 schools competed Sunday in the Orange County Math Circle held at the Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas.
It was the first time that the free event, designed to encourage female students in third through eighth grades to develop skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, was held in Southern Nevada. Interest was so high that the contest will become an annual event, according to organizer Hikmet Erdogan, a coach in the Math Counts program at Coral Academy.
“We have to encourage our girls in STEM fields,” Erdogan said.
Dr. Kimberly Kendricks, a STEM coordinator at UNLV, presented awards to the winners:
— Pradnya Kappally, third-grade, Coral Academy
— Ashtita Kalakuntla, fourth-grade, Coral Academy
— Marina Saeger, fifth-grade, Coral Academy
— Elizabeth Ha, sixth-grade, Coral Academy
— Madeline Young, seventh-grade, Challenger School
— Mia Lorenzo, eighth-grade, Coral Academy
