Primary mathletes put their skills to the test in PVNC Boardwide Math Olympics
May 2, 2024
When first passing the large board room at the Catholic Education Centre, one would not assume it was filled with students performing math challenges on a Tuesday morning. Stepping in, the giggles, the judges running from table to table, and the hushed “you got this” from teams across the Board, they may be surprised to find themselves in the midst of a raucous math event.
On Tues. April 30, the Catholic Education Centre hosted Grade 3 and 4 students from across the Board to participate in multiple team and partner math challenges for the annual PVNC Math Olympics.
“We’re so excited to have our students back here for the second time in a row, with some new and returning faces,” says student achievement consultant Sandra Connolly. Eighteen schools sent teams to the competition, Connolly added, with some submitting two teams.
Each team participated in three events that involved working in pairs or as an entire team to solve problems exploring different areas of mathematics. Each event was not only scored on accuracy of results, but judges also took into consideration the team’s communication skills with their explanations on how they got to an answer.
St. Joseph CES Douro Grade 3 student Cecilia Leahy reflected on her experience of the day excitedly, “At first I was nervous about playing against other teams and having the instructors check our answers. My team made me feel confident in completing the challenges, and that’s how I think I did a good job. I definitely want to come back next year and compete.”
For many students, the realization that their coaches would not be by their side was a little overwhelming, but for Holy Family CES teacher and coach Shawna Clarke, she knew her students would push through the nerves of working within themselves. “Our last practice before this event, they were a little nervous when they realized I wouldn’t be there to help with each challenge, but seeing them today, they are flourishing. Every time I pop in to check on the team they are so excited to tell me about the activities they’ve done and where they may have gotten stuck and how they navigated through it as a team.”
Clarke cited the reason she volunteered to coach the primary math team to her own experience with the subject as a child, “Growing up, math was an intimidating subject for me personally, and I think that if there was an event like this when I was their age, it would have made me excited to approach math with a different lens. Watching students’ confidence grow with the subject is great to witness.”
As the competition continued throughout the day, parents of students watched on as awards were announced and handed out. St. Catherine CES students took home the bronze and silver medals, while Monsignor Leo Cleary CES took gold.
Stephanie Usifoh, a Grade 4 student from Monsignor Leo Cleary CES had the look of pure joy and shock as the judges called her team up for the gold medal award. When reflecting on the day, she added “It was amazing working with my team, and we all helped each other a lot. I joined because I really love math. I’m most excited about learning other math and coming back next year for the junior math olympics.”
Check out the winners of the day below:
Monsignor Leo Cleary CES: Primary Gold |
St. Catherine CES: Primary Silver |
St. Catherine CES: Primary Bronze |