DORCHESTER, MA—Rocely Guevara Gomez, an Honor Student at the Sarah Greenwood School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, wanted something unique for Christmas this year. What made the gift really special, however, is that she was determined to give it to herself.
"I was often giving up in math until Mr. Cain told me about the First In Math® program," explains the energetic 6th-grader. "I also heard about the Top Player Grand Prize, and it seemed that everyone who was doing well had sticker-counts in the thousands, and I was only in the hundreds, so I wanted to improve my score." Rocely decided to devote herself to that task during Christmas vacation. Playing the 24® Game on the First In Math site helped her improve each day, and she set ever-increasing goals for herself. "I would decide on an amount of stickers to earn in one day, and never give up. I improved my score every day by 100 to 200 stickers, and I developed different ways to generate a set amount of stickers."
Her hard work paid off, as she is currently the #2 player in the state of Massachusetts, with more than 8,000 stickers. She also noticed that more than just her sticker count was improving. "Christmas vacation gave me time to build up my skills and my self-confidence," says Rocely. "I increased my math skills and my grades along with my sticker count. What most interested me was the way I developed into a better math student." Developing ‘better math students’ was Principal Isabel Mendez’s goal when she introduced the program two years ago, recognizing it’s potential to improve math fluency across the board.
John Cain, Jr., Mathematics and Technology Teacher at Sarah Greenwood, describes Rocely as warm and pleasant—with obvious leadership skills. "Rocely works hard and is very diligent. She believes in herself, and it shows. She has made great strides in the First In Math program." Rocely usually spends at least two hours a day on the First In Math site. Chardas Freeman, Rocely's homeroom teacher, says she visits Cain’s classroom in the morning before class starts, and again at the end of school, in addition to playing at home.
Rocely, who hopes to become a doctor someday, says she is proud of being a top First In Math player, and has some advice for her fellow math students. "You must be self-confident and say to yourself, 'I can do this'—because you can! It's the best gift you can give yourself!"