ORLANDO, FL—Last year, participants in the First In Math® Online Program earned 259,747,051 stickers. Amazingly, that number was surpassed on Wednesday, January 27, at 8:54 a.m. by Lorraine Claros, a fourth grade student at Durrance Elementary School in Orange County, Florida.
Lorraine Claros strikes a pose in front of her FIM Player Home Page, shortly after she became the first student to top last year’s Total Sticker Count. Inset: Students, Teachers and Parents can see the stickers being earned—and the math problems being solved—on the Welcome page when they log in.
“When Principal Abbe came into our room, my first thought was ‘uh oh, what’s wrong’,” says Rhonda Schad, Lorraine’s teacher. “But then I saw she had a big smile on her face—and she made the announcement. The whole class just couldn’t believe it. Now all Lorraine wants to do is First In Math!”
“I do have a blast with First in Math,” agrees Claros, who will be receiving a 24® Game autographed by First In Math creator Robert Sun.
Schad uses the program as independent work and allows students to log on before school and at other times during the day. “I also encourage students to use the program at home,” explains Schad, whose school received FIM through a countywide pilot program. “The program is very easy to implement and use.” Schad recently had a new addition to her classroom, a girl from Russia, who does not yet speak English. “There are so many things she can’t participate in yet, but this young lady loves First In Math—she is very competitive, too. ”
Principal Abbe proudly reports that many Durrance teams are doing well in the program. “We are getting a trophy to award to our Team of the Week, and I’m sure that will be great motivator. Our students love looking at the ‘Rankings’ to see how they compare to each other as well as others in Orange County.”
How high will the sticker count climb this year? Every time you log on to the First In Math site, take a moment to check the “Welcome” page (the one featuring FIM players). The bottom number shows how many FIM stickers were earned last year, and the top number shows the 2009-10 sticker count total in real time, (see inset) so you can witness the sticker count climb!