European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday May 20, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 9math a Breeze for 4 in . Contest but Dodds team s Effort fails to equal Victory by Ray Rovden Washington Bureau Washington the four a Smath Letese who represented department of defense dependents schools in Europe at the National mat counts Competition missed a top-10 finish but helped prove that math can be fun and rewarding. The four were coached by Jacqueline Mckeon of Heidelberg Middle school in Germany. They Are Jimmy Brokaw of bad sibling elementary school Noah Carlson of Wei Brincken High school Dennis a a Yoda Chatham or. Of Wiesbaden Middle school and Tom Mcqueen of Heidelberg Middle school All of Germany. The National Competition Friday was open to All Star teams of seventh and eighth graders who attend schools in each state and territory the District of Columbia and British Columbia Canada As Well As those operated by the state and defense departments. The event is sponsored by commercial and profession Al organizations. The press and parents were permitted to watch unofficial rounds of team Competition held after a morning written test. Clad in Matching Gray and Blackt shirts members of the Dodds team were at a table Between teams from Arizona and Illinois. They shouted numbers pencilled in equations and rattled calculator keys. They often solved questions that involved Square roots integers and exponential expressions. But they were at a momentary loss for a formula to solve the problem of a name As Many songs As possible that have numbers in their  Chatham helped get them moving naming Tea for two. The four did no to score High enough on written tests to make the top 10. But they later had ringside seats for the competitions final round a one on one math Challenge. The top scorer on the written exams 14-year-Oid Jennifer Hoffman an eighth grader from Greenwich conn., competed against Andrei Gnepp a 13-year-old eighth grader from Orange Ohio. Gnepp won the National championship by being the first with Correct answers to three problems. Gnepp the son of a Nasa worker and a College math professor bypassed an Ohio state writing Competition to attend the National math contest. Spectators meanwhile rarely heard an entire question. For example the final question presupposed the Chicago bulls led the Detroit pistons 3-2 in a seven game series but the answer a a four Twenty fifths a came before the question was completed. Onlookers were amazed at the ability of the finalists to answer Complex equations before they could be read aloud but the Dodds Bunch was nonchalant. For instance one problem had a car travelling at a constant rate of Speed and passing mile markers with two digits after an hour the same two digits reversed after two hours and the original digits preceded by a one after three hours. The goal was to determine the cards Speed. The Dodds team got the answer a 45 Mph a though the two finalists did no to said Mcqueen the Only seventh grader among the Dodds students. But their visit Wasny tall mental gymnastics. A Side trip to a shopping mall earned top shopping honors for Carlson who secured baseball cards from the Rookie years of All stars Kirby Puckett and Ryne Sandburg. His enthusiasm May have infected his coach Mckeon. She also bought a set of cards. A if these Guys will teach me what some of these numbers mean a she said Quot i think i can use them in the classroom when we work on  the top individual Fin Shora wore Andrei Nopp Orlov Jon Niter Hoffman Connecticu Christopher Chang Californi Alawrence Guth Massachusett Daveen Maulik Kansas Jacob Lurie Maryland Eric Kuo Pennsylvania Robert Ralg Virgin Aaaron Ucko Missouri and Junior Tang Minnesota. Tho top state teams Woro California Massachusetts Maryland Pennsylvania Minnesota Illinois Iowa Kansas Missouri and  High a 13�?~/2-foot-High statue of a Black cavalry a Buffalo soldiers gets a ride monday through Hays kan., in route to fort Leavenworth. The Bronze statue was cast in Loveland colo., and was moved from there in a truck driven by Loveland resident Tony Workman. The 2,400-Pound Monument Cost $350,000 to design and build. Army finally gives go ahead to bikes for flight line tasks by Chuck Vinch staff writer the army has Given the official Green Light to a warrant officers suggestion to use bicycles and tricycles for certain jobs on flight lines a seven years after he submitted it. The policy is a result of a suggestion submitted in 1985 by warrant officer Donald p. Childs then stationed in Fulda Germany. Childs idea was part of an army suggestion program under which those who submit ideas can receive Cash if their proposals Are accepted. Childs a former cobra helicopter Pilot has since left the service. Army officials said they did not know when he could be reached. According to capt. Bob a cnally of the office of the Deputy chief of staff for operations at the Pentagon some army aviation units have used bicycles and tricycles to haul tools and parts on flight lines for years Fie said the army has encouraged units to use them. He said that the army a approval of Childs suggestion allows commanders to use unit funds to buy the vehicles instead of borrowing them from other units. For example the 10 adult sized trikes used by members of co a 7th in 158th aviation regt in Wiesbaden Germany Are loaned from the air bases Supply unit. The company must renew the loan every six months said it. Brian c. Jones acting commander of a 12th aviation brigade company at Wiesbaden a. The procedure has some drawbacks. For instance when the Wiesbaden unit deployed to saudi Arabia during operation desert storm it had to get the of from the Supply unit at Wiesbaden a to take those tricycles to inc persian Gulf Jones said. A cnally said there was nothing in the paperwork involved with Childs suggestion indicating that the seven year delay was due to anything except slow moving bureaucracy. He said it seems that Childs suggestion took a Long time working its Way up the Chain of command from battalion to brigade to division to the . Army Europe and finally to the Pentagon. A it just kept going through different agencies until it came to me and i obtained the final approval on it a a cnally said. A a lot of thought and consideration went into this  Pat Roberts a program analyst who works for the army a ideas for excellence program said Childs concept Falls into what program officials Call the a intangible benefits category meaning its next to impossible to place a Dollar savings figure on it. She said Mcneal Lye a office recommended an award of $250 a about $35 for each year Childs has waited. A a we re usually pretty Good about finding people in these kinds of situations a Roberts said. Staff writer sue Harper contributed to this report Federal savings plan provides Loans by Mike Causey the Washington Post Washington a a growing number of Federal workers Are using their tax deferred Thrift savings plan As a guaranteed source of Low interest Loans a for Purchase of a Home or for tuition or emergencies. Since the investment program started five years ago workers have taken out 75,000 Loans Worth a total of More than $250 million. Many private sector 401 k plans wont let workers pay Back Money they withdraw for Homes school or hardship. But the Federal program requires borrowers to repay themselves via payroll deductions. Employees can borrow from their own investments and earnings but not from government contributions to their accounts. The typical account for investors in the new Federal employees retirement system is Worth nearly $10,000. The average account for people under the old civil service retirement system who Are limited to making a 5 percent contribution is just More than $7,000. Some High paid workers have accounts Worth More than $60,000. Adjutant general corps Ball planned for june Schwet Zingen Germany the adjutant general corps anniversary Ball will be held june 20 at the officers and civilians club in Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. All adjutant general corps officers warrant officers sergeants first class and above civilian employees gs-7s and above and their guests Are invited. The formal Ball will begin at 6 . The Cost is $24.50 for each person. Those planning to attend the Ball must turn in a completed reservation form and Check to their units Points of Contact by May 29. Checks must be made payable to a the a anniversary Ball  l or More information Contact it. Col. Gregory West rum at ets 379-6172/6145