After five weeks of elimination and three minutes of competition, fourth-grader Ivy Hoang is this year’s Math Counts champion.
Math Counts is a district-wide academic competition sponsored by the Butler County Community Resource Council. It begins with 400 fourth-grade students in the Poplar Bluff R-I School District and narrows down to four. This year’s finalists were Hoang, Wyatt Ward, Nelson Xiao and Brayden Conover, all from Poplar Bluff Middle School.
The final round of competition was held Wednesday at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library. Students raced the clock and each other to complete math problems; their final score was based on time and the percentage of right answers.
Hoang said she was “surprised” to win and that she has always enjoyed math.
“I grew up liking it,” she explained.
“I just like counting up and using numbers, it’s fun,” added Ward.
This is the competition’s 11th year. Organizer Kathern Harris said Math Counts gives students a chance to compete academically instead of athletically and raises enthusiasm for math.
“I also think it prepares them for the classroom. Teachers have said their kids have done better in multiplication. So that’s the best way that you can determine it helps,” she added.
The contest is part of the Children and Youth Succeeding In School Committee, according to CRC Executive Director Rebeca Pacheco.
“We get really good feedback each year from the students, from the families and the school. It allows us to partner with the school and with other community stakeholders to bring something that’s fun and educational to the students,” she said.