Kenneth White Jr. High (KWJH) students Nicholas Ochoa, and Juliet Suarez were both named Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) 6A State Champions for Calculators in San Antonio recently. Ochoa was the 8th grade State Champ while Suarez was the 7th grade State Champ in their division. The Calculators team of Nicholas Ochoa, Juliet Suarez, Vincent Escalera, and Fredy Cortes also won 2nd place in Calculators.
This is Ochoa’s second time earning a State Champ accolade. His first State award was last year in 7th grade where he was also named TMSCA Calculators State Champ. His involvement with Math, Number Sense, and Calculators started in elementary school and he has continued throughout the years at KWJH. He attributes his success partially to his brother who has been his role model and mentor.
“It was exciting winning this award and I also felt a huge sense of relief,” states Ochoa. “Next for me is high school and during the summer I will start practicing the high school material. I will be attending Mission Collegiate High School and I look forward to being involved in UIL, TMSCA, and Robotics.”
Suarez is a first-time TMSCA State Champ winner in Calculators. She was exposed to UIL Math events in 4th and 5th grade. She states that her 6th grade year was a little difficult for her since the competition was virtual. She quickly turned things around this year and was able to snatch up the most coveted award at TMSCA.
“I did it! Honestly, it was something that I didn’t expect,” states Suarez. “I did feel that my hard work had paid off. So, my goal now is to continue learning new things because it is exciting.”
Having two State Champs come out of one campus speaks volumes about the program at KWJH. It is currently headed by Adrian Chapa who works with the students daily. They had a total of 31 students qualify for State this year. Eleven students placed in the top 20 at State and the campus has been Regional Champion eight years in a row.
“For anyone that may be interested in these events my recommendation is to try it,” states Chapa. “If I were to guess about 70 percent of the students that are on the team had never done any events before. It comes down to developing a work ethic and to just keep at it.”
Since Chapa started, the program has increased its number of State Qualifiers every year and he has coached a total of five State Champions throughout the years he has been at the campus. He has been coaching this program for eight years and it has been extremely successful.
The following are State results:
8th Grade- Nicholas Ochoa- State Champion, Vincent Escalera- 14th place, and Leon Villarreal- 19th place.
7th Grade- Juliet Suarez- State Champion, Eduardo Heredia- 8th place, Daniel Cardenas- 17th place, and Brandon Soliz- 20th place.
6th Grade- Fredy Cortes- 2nd place, Natalie Salinas- 10th place, Lucas Garcia- 15th place, and Leila Morales – 18th place.