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McKinley scores big at Math 24 competition
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Poland McKinley’s Math 24 team did well at the competition, with every team member taking a place in the top 16 finalists. On Feb. 11, the team’s top winners, Zachary Jacobson (left), Kevin Rabindra, Noah Landry, Jillian Penman, Hanna Blake, Dominic Franceschelli, and Marik Rogenski brought their prizes to school to celebrate. The school’s big winners were Rogenski and Rabindra, who won first and second place in the fifth-grade division, respectively.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .In the first round of play at the Math 24 regional competition in Youngstown, Poland Union team member Josie Mayle(center) showed great focus in hopes for a round win.
By SARAH FOOR
For months, teams in Boardman and Poland elementary schools have been practicing a game called Math 24, where they use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to make four numbers equal 24.
All their practice was tested in a few short, intense rounds of game play in the regional Math 24 competition at Youngstown Christian High School on Feb. 9.
The education director at Youngstown Christian, Joshua Reichard, welcomed players and their families.
“Our area sometimes gets a bad rap, but I look around this room and see the brightest young minds of our area, focusing on their academics and honing their math skills. We have the future of the Mahoning Valley in this room,” he said.
The competition was broken into two rounds, where the students were scored by winning game cards with varying degrees of difficulty. During the competition, Poland McKinley Elementary and St. Charles School in Boardman stood out with exceptional efforts in the competition.
All members of the McKinley team finished in the top 16 in all grade levels. Marik Rogenski was a big winner for Poland, coming in first in the fifth-grade division.
“During the competition, I was very calm and focused,” shared Rogenski a few days after his win. “I think the calm helped me do well.”
His McKinley teammate, Kevin Rabindra, came in second place in the fifth-grade division. He had a different experience at Youngstown Christian.
“I got a headache, I was focusing so hard. I was really nervous up until the moment I won,” he admitted.
Big prizes were also won by students at St. Charles School in Boardman. Sixth-grade second-place winner Mark Riccardi said his approach was to stay completely relaxed.
“I’ve been on our Math 24 team for years now, so calmness definitely helped me get to the top.”
First-place fourth-grade winner Alex Stoneman shared the secret of success for St. Charles and many of the kids that play Math 24.
“I always remember to keep it fun.”