John "Jay" Wilson III, a mathematics teacher at East Chapel Hill High School, has been selected as a winner of the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching, the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) announced.

Wilson is one of 23 teachers selected from all of the high schools in the United States and Canada for this international recognition. He was nominated by ECHHS students Jeremy Hahn, Hyun Ji Bae, Arthur Kim and Theodore Lee. Nominations for the award were solicited from students in the 60 highest scoring American Mathematics Competition (AMC 12) teams in the United States, Canada, APO/FPO and US Embassy schools.

"Many mathematicians and others who use mathematics in their work received their first contact with challenging mathematics problems as part of their participation in the American Mathematical Competitions," said Joseph A. Gillian, president of the MAA. "The Mathematical Association of America is proud to sponsor these competitions among our most mathematically-accomplished students. As MAA president, I congratulate all the students who take part and express our gratitude to the dedicated teachers, such as Mr. Wilson, who train them."

As a winner, Wilson receives a cash award, a letter of recognition, a Sliffe Award Winner pin and certificate from the MAA, a one-year institutional membership in the MAA, twenty subscriptions to Math Horizons for distribution to students and a one-year membership in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a professional organization dedicated to mathematics education pre-K through 12.

The MAA is a 28,000-member organization devoted to mathematics education at the college level. The Edyth May Sliffe Award program is designed to recognize and reward outstanding teachers for their efforts in the development of mathematical talents of high school students.