PVNC Catholic hosts spirited annual Math Olympics

Apr. 25, 2025

On Thursday (Apr. 24, 2025), the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board brought together young minds from across the region for its highly anticipated annual Math Olympics. 

Held this year at the Catholic Education Centre (CEC) and Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School, the event welcomed 252 enthusiastic students from Grades 3 to 8 for a day filled with friendly competition, critical thinking, and a shared love of mathematics.

Buzzing with energy and excitement, the Math Olympics featured a range of stimulating activities designed to both challenge and celebrate students’ mathematical talents. 

One of the day’s highlights was the “Skills Challenge,” where individual students put their problem-solving abilities to the test through a series of intriguing math puzzles.

Adding a playful twist to the competition, students also engaged in spirited dice games that combined strategy and chance, encouraging both critical thinking and collaboration. 

The event also featured the “Number Hive Multiplication” challenge, a team-based showdown that showcased students’ speed and accuracy in multiplication. 

“This is a tight game. It can go any way right now,” said Daniel Murphy, Grade 7 student at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough.

“Oh, ya it’s so close,” added Dawson Tzountzouris, Grade 7 student at St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School in Lindsay as he tried to figure out a multiplication of 12 to block St. Paul CES from winning the round.

A jar of coins sat at the front of the large board room at the CEC where students could use their math skills to figure out how many were in the jar.

As a group of students gathered counting, they joked about how close they thought they’d come to guessing it right.

“Do you think you’re close,” said Cameron Smith, Grade 8 student at St. Mary Catholic Elementary School in Grafton.

“No!” laughed his teammate Liam Walsh-Good, Grade 8 student.

The younger students tested their math skills in similar competitions in the gym at Holy Cross CSS.

The event was put on by members of PVNC Catholic’s Math Achievement Team.

Winners:

Grade 3/4 

1st Place – St. Dominic CES

2nd Place – St. Teresa CES

3rd Place – St. Patrick CES

Grade 5/6

1st Place – St. Teresa CES

2nd Place – St. Martin CES

3rd Place – Notre Dame CES

Grade 7/8

1st Place – St. Mary CES, Grafton

2nd Place – St. Catherine CES

3rd Place – St. Joseph CES, Bowmanville