Wednesday, April 11, 2001
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Wednesday, April 11, 2001 |
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New county competition begins for elementary math Until this year, math was the only discipline in the Fayette County School System that did not have a county competition. Now all of that is about to change as the school system heads toward its first annual countywide elementary math contest. April is traditionally marked as National Math Month. Previously Fayette teachers have acknowledged the month by conducting math fairs, all-day seminars and other fun math-related activities. Several years ago, Angie Meredith, a teacher at Burch Elementary, decided to organize a math bowl for students in grades two to five. It was such a big hit that she encouraged other teachers to implement bowls at their schools. Oak Grove, Braelinn and North Fayette elementary schools took the suggestion and started bowls for their students. The bowls were so popular that teachers from these schools thought it would be a good idea to get all elementary schools involved and have a county competition. Last spring several lead math teachers approached math coordinator Kay Seabolt about the possibility of a county contest. "They [teachers] pointed out to me that math was the only discipline without a county competition. That was all they had to say," Seabolt recalls. This year all elementary schools conducted individual math bowl competitions for grades four and five. The first place winning teams from each school qualify to represent their school at the county competition scheduled for April 17 for fifth grade and 18 for fourth grade at the LaFayette Educational Center. Students were selected for the bowls through a county math test given to all fourth and fifth graders. The top 20 performing students from each grade level were chosen to compete in their school's bowl. Each school created six teams of three with two alternates. "The kids are so excited about representing their school in the county competition," says Judy Chambers, lead math teacher at North Fayette Elementary School. "I consider this to be one of the most exciting things in elementary math this year. The lead math teachers have given extra time for something that is of a great benefit to students." Seabolt says the benefits of the county competition are multifold. It gives students who are gifted in math an opportunity to display their knowledge and compete with others, it is a great way to review concepts and develop problem-solving skills, and it helps students perform better on standardized testing and stimulates an interest in math. "Other students watch their friends and classmates competing and having fun and it makes them want to learn more about math," Seabolt explains. Each student competing at the county level will receive a certificate for participation. Trophies will be awarded to the schools for teams winning first, second and third place in both grade levels. Below are the representatives from each school who will be participating in the countywide elementary math competition.
Fourth grade Oak Grove Elementary: Andrew Barth, Arianna Brown, Sydney Lux, (alternate Damien Haas). Fayette Elementary: David Turmel, Joey Walker, Jennie Lee, (alternate Joanna Lin). Braelinn Elementary: Andrew Martin, Shota Oba, Brooks Pfeifer, (alternate Brein Millea). Kedron Elementary: Lauren Cash, Rachel Kogut, Ashley Sanders, (alternate Joey Tesoriero). Brooks Elementary: Michael Mask, Robbie Grubbs, Nathan Byars, (alternate Audrey Young). Burch Elementary: Kent Thompson, Dusty Watts, Steven Wilson, (alternate Michael Lamb). East Fayette Elementary: Luke Wilkinson, Walker Rogers, Neal Royal. North Fayette Elementary: Kiana Courtney, Jake Barber, Randall Blizzard, (alternate Aryton Bryan). Peeples Elementary: Mike Mosgrove, Adam Williams, Scott Erwin, (alternate Cody McCollum). Peachtree City Elementary: Shelby Bachman, Sarah Halicks, Kate Williams, (alternate Lauren Anderson). Spring Hill Elementary: Jeffrey Kuo, Mitch Mathis, Ehizele Osehobo, (alternate Ashish Gandhi). Tyrone Elementary: Larissa Ruckl, Traice Terry, Matthew Jones, (alternate Rachel Bell).
Fifth grade Oak Grove Elementary: Robin Atha, Ian Boulton, Michael Qin, (alternate Ryan Bahr). Fayette Elementary: Jake Wellman, Amanda Holland, Sarah Dorney, (alternate James Conrad). Braelinn Elementary: Laura Watson, Shoko Kayano, Jake Mittelman, (alternate Steven LaBrecque). Kedron Elementary: Jimmy Justice, Alan Liow, Davy Widfeldt, (alternate Brenden Leonard). Brooks Elementary: Paul Quinnell, Halie Smith, Rocky Ognio, (alternate Andrew Bowman). Burch Elementary: Skylar Wright, Jordan Green, Kunj Pandya, (alternate David Desprez). East Fayette Elementary: Seth Wilkinson, Elizabeth Finlon, Kaitlyn Olmos. North Fayette Elementary: Jordan Griffin, David Walker, Jesse Croyle, (alternate A. J. Ellis). Peeples Elementary: Matt Sweat, Megan Copeland, Andy Barger, (alternate Emily Breault). Peachtree City Elementary: Nathan Albright, Chris Snyder, Ai Taniguchi, (alternate Frank Fiast). Spring Hill Elementary: Stuart Coburn, Joed Kendrick, Thomas Griffin, (alternate Jeanie Choi). Tyrone Elementary: Sean Williams, Sarah Brillant, Nick Bearden, (alternate Jocelyn Simpson)
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