Fern Bluff Elementary celebrates math pentathlon national victory

Fern Bluff Elementary celebrates math pentathlon national victory

By Kelsey Wilkinson Wednesday, 03 June 2009

More than 130 students wearing bright red t-shirts marched through the halls of Round Rock ISD's Fern Bluff Elementary School the morning of June 3. Slapping the hands of their classmates, they strutted through the hall and took in the sounds of Queen’s “We are the champions” blaring on the PA system.

The students celebrated their new status as math pentathlon national champions. The mathematics pentathlon is a program of interactive problem-solving games that aims to strengthen basic math concepts and skills, which align with the national and state mathematics standards and stimulates creative thinking and problem solving skills.

This was the first year the campus offered a math pentathlon club on their campus. Students trained with activities after school and many parents volunteered on weekends to learn the rules for coaching and supervising a math pentathlon tournament.

“This is not simply an after school program,” said Lisa Mack, math pentathlon campus coordinator and who Fern Bluff Principal Elizabeth Wilson credits with bringing the program to the school. “We are a family of families.”

Mack said it is not just the students and teachers who made the program successful, but also the parents’ dedication and commitment to the program and their children.

The Fern Bluff students were named national champions June 1 upon earning 352 points at the tournament’s conclusion. Approximately 219 schools participated in the national tournament.

“You guys are rough, tough and smart,” said Dr. Lorenzo Sadun, the University of Texas Professor who addressed the students at the awards ceremony. “You didn’t just learn math, you connected the classroom to the real world and proved the book learning doesn’t end when you close the book and leave school at the end of the day.”

For more information, visit www.mathpentath.org or the Round Rock ISD website.