READING, PA—On April 15, students at Holy Guardian Angels Regional School participated in a special 24-hour First In Math® Online Program marathon. When it was over, children had added more than 20,000 stickers to their online competition tally, and what began as a unique way to motivate students to earn more stickers turned into so much more.
Technology teacher Rebecca Kinyo came up with the idea of a "Math 24-A-Thon" that would keep the Allentown Diocese school open for 24 hours from 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Kinyo allowed younger students to play in the earlier part of the evening, while grades 6 to 8 could sign up for the midnight to dawn shifts. Kinyo would remain in the lab for all 24 hours, in addition to attending school on Friday!
LEFT: Eighth-grade students encourage others to participate in the Math-A-Thon during a Kick-Off Assembly. RIGHT: Third grader Heather Szymborski-Pratt shows off her mastery of division by wearing a Fact Master headband.
"Students started signing up for hour-long slots one month ago, and began collecting pledges to match their efforts," explains Kinyo. "Some pledges were a nickel for each sticker earned, while others were flat amounts for the hour a student would play First In Math." More than 100 students took turns playing FIM in the computer lab, then hitting the gym for snacks and games supervised by teachers and more than 40 parent volunteers. An additional 106 students participated at home. The highest earner during the event collected 1,093 stickers, and the school raised its average-stickers-per-student count by 80.
Ten percent of the proceeds from the event will go to the local chapter of the Red Cross to be earmarked for victims of the Japanese tsunami disaster. The remaining funds will be used for technology upgrades at the school.
Monica Patel, Implementation Strategist for Suntex International, had the opportunity to visit the marathon in progress, and says that "the school, its students and their activities are a testimonial to their collective passion for First In Math." The school's computer lab has a chart that shows the score for each FIM Team. Every morning begins with two students known as the 'twelves' (2 x 12 = 24) visiting each class wearing a giant 24® card made by art teacher Kate Kasperowicz. Classes must solve the card together. Kasperowicz and the Gym teacher also harness students' imaginations by having them create artwork or games related to—you guessed it—the number 24. Principal Maureen Wallin asks '24' trivia questions over the PA system. "Holy Guardian Angels is truly the model of complete embedding of the First In Math® Online Program," says Patel, reserving her highest praise for Kinyo. "Her smile is as bright as she is enthusiastic about the program."
Sondra Bard, math teacher for the upper grades, had used Suntex International's 24® Game in her classrooms for years, and is equally enthusiastic about First In Math. "In the beginning, younger children were afraid of the use of radicals in solving equations, but with the way the program is set up, they began to see the underlying pattern. Now, even the little ones can solve equations with exponents and radicals," explains Bard. "With First In Math, by the time the younger children go to the higher grades, they are fluent in their computation and problem-solving skills. When I get them, it is easier for me to teach them advanced concepts, as their math foundation is strong."