Raytheon Celebrates and Supports U.S. Middle School Students As They Vie For National Math Bee Champion Title

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) August 21, 2008 -- MATHCOUNTS Foundation, a non-profit mathematics education organization (www.mathcounts.org) today announced that Raytheon Company will be the title sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition for the next three years from 2009 through 2011. The 2009 MATHCOUNTS National Competition will be held May 7-10 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. MATHCOUNTS^® is a national math enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement in every U.S. state and territory, and is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students in America.

With the generous support of Raytheon and its employees and volunteers, MATHCOUNTS will continue to provide students with the tools they need for a foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers at a critical time in their education

Our generous sponsors help us prepare middle school students for higher education and to take their place as leaders in a changing technological global economy. With Raytheon's help we are looking forward to our 26th National Competition and celebrating the achievements of our dedicated and talented Mathletes®.

We believe this is about investing in the future of our nation, that it is our responsibility to pave the way for those who will follow us, just as others paved the way for our generation

Innovation has been, and will continue to be, essential to the prosperity and growth of our nation. We owe it to future generations to get this right. Raytheon is trying to help by reaching out to students, teachers and schools to make math fun and exciting. We are honored to partner with MATHCOUNTS in this important mission.

“With the generous support of Raytheon and its employees and volunteers, MATHCOUNTS will continue to provide students with the tools they need for a foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers at a critical time in their education,” says Lou DiGioia, Executive Director of MATHCOUNTS. “Our generous sponsors help us prepare middle school students for higher education and to take their place as leaders in a changing technological global economy. With Raytheon’s help we are looking forward to our 26th National Competition and celebrating the achievements of our dedicated and talented Mathletes^®.”

“We believe this is about investing in the future of our nation, that it is our responsibility to pave the way for those who will follow us, just as others paved the way for our generation," said William H. Swanson, Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company and 2009-2011 MATHCOUNTS Honorary Chairman. "Innovation has been, and will continue to be, essential to the prosperity and growth of our nation. We owe it to future generations to get this right. Raytheon is trying to help by reaching out to students, teachers and schools to make math fun and exciting. We are honored to partner with MATHCOUNTS in this important mission."

Raytheon has partnered with MATHCOUNTS to increase middle school mathematics achievement for the past 13 years, and has donated significant financial contributions to help middle school students become creative problem solvers and develop the skills needed to become the math and science leaders of the future. In addition to financial support, Raytheon assists MATHCOUNTS through volunteerism and community involvement from Raytheon employees. In their continuing commitment to encouraging students to remain interested in programs in math and science, Raytheon has also created MathMovesU, an initiative which features interactive learning programs, fun contests, live events, scholarships, tutoring programs and much more.

Middle school age is the time when critical thinking skills are being honed and a change in attitudes toward mathematics can occur. The MATHCOUNTS Competition program capitalizes on this pivotal point in a child’s development by exposing students to more math in a fun and exciting way. By offering teachers, kids and parents terrific free materials to aid them in math enrichment, MATHCOUNTS prepares kids for a high-tech future that will require mathematics related skills to achieve success. Over the last 25 years, more than 7 million students have used MATHCOUNTS materials and over 41,000 middle schoolers from all 50 states and US Territories compete in local and regional MATHCOUNTS Competitions each year. The final 228 students advance to the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition to vie for the top spot as the National Math Bee Champion.

For its 25^th anniversary year, MATHCOUNTS introduced the innovative new Club Program creating non-competitive math clubs by providing free materials and guidance to any middle school in the U.S. The Club Program was initiated to help foster enthusiasm for mathematics in all students, and to further engage those who prefer not to participate in the competitive aspect of MATHCOUNTS. Materials and information are available by registering on the web site free-of-charge at www.mathcounts.org .

Registration for the MATHCOUNTS 2008-2009 program year will begin on September 2. Concurrently, more than 50,000 copies of the MATHCOUNTS School Handbook will be distributed to middle schools across the country. Thousands of teachers currently use the free materials every year to supplement classroom materials or as an extracurricular activity.

About MATHCOUNTS

A 501(c)(3) organization, funding for MATHCOUNTS comes primarily from its National Sponsors; Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Foundation, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, ConocoPhillips, General Motors Foundation, Lockheed Martin, 3M Foundation and Texas Instruments Incorporated. MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 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 a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

For information on MATHCOUNTS visit: www.mathcounts.org

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