GENEVA - Several 5th grade students from Williamsburg Elementary School were among the approximately 120,000 students worldwide to take part in this years’ Math Olympiad program. They participated in a series of five monthly contests consisting of five problems each. During class they also practiced for these meets under the supervision and coaching of Nancy Krasinski, Acceleration and Enrichment teacher at Williamsburg.
Math Olympiad style of math questions require students to be creative, flexible problem solvers who can apply mathematical reasoning in a variety of situations. They must see mathematical connections needed to solve complex problems and be both accurate and efficient, as the contests are timed.
This year’s Math Olympians were: Hannah Bernhard, Emily Grimes, Steven Meyer, Eli Paschke, Michael Friedman, Kayla Stone, Sunni Foard, and Charlie Curione.
Awards for excellence were earned by the following:
· Scoring in the top 25% in the nation- Kayla Stone and Emily Grimes
· Scoring in the top 20% in the nation- Eli Paschke and Steven Meyer
· Scoring in the top 10% in the nation- Charlie Curione, Michael Friedman, and Sunni Foard
The top scoring students at Williamsburg were Michael Friedman and Sunni Foard.
“I’m very proud of all of the students who participated in the Math Olympiad challenges this year,” said Krasinski. “Each of these students worked very hard to improve their mathematical reasoning skills.”
Participation in Math Olympiad is encouraged and supported by Williamsburg Elementary Principal Dr. Julie Dye and is generously funded through the Williamsburg PTO.