Math Prizes Adding Up Student Follows In Footsteps Of Father And Older Brother
Instead of listening to bedtime stories, young Robert Dirks did math problems with his dad before he went to sleep.
It paid off.
Dirks, who just finished his junior year at Lewis and Clark High School, is one of seven students statewide who won $3,000 scholarships through the American Heart Association’s Introduction to Cardiovascular Research Awards.
Out of 150 applicants, Dirks, 16, was selected based on academic record, letters of recommendation and a statement of interest.
Barely old enough to legally drive, Dirks will spend his summer doing cardiovascular research with microbiology professionals at the University of Washington.
He said he will use the money to buy a computer and pay for college with the rest.
Under math instructor Greg Sampson’s tutelage, Dirks finished Advanced Algebra Trigonometry in just two weeks.
“I just got tired of grading his quizzes because he never missed any questions,” said Sampson, recalling Dirks missing only one question the entire course.
Dirks gives some of the credit for his math expertise to his father, Mike, a math teacher at North Central High School. Dirks’ older brother, Bill, was a valedictorian for LC’s class of ‘94 and a math wiz himself.
Now Dirks is filling his big brother’s shoes.
Since Dirks was at Sacajawea Middle School, where he placed fifth in the Math Counts contest, he has excelled in math:
He placed third in a pool of 10,000 in the 1994 American Math Exam, which is the first round of the International Math Olympics.
He was one of two students recognized in the state through the 1995 U.S. Mathematics Talent Search.
He helped his team take first in this year’s Washington State Math Council regional competition and fifth in the state competition.
The president of LC’s math club has maintained a 4.0 grade point average as well as his involvement with the Spokane Youth Symphony and the LC band, for which he plays the bassoon.
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