Leesburg Wins Statewide Math ContestLEESBURG - It was such a big event that the founder of Apangea Learning flew from Philadelphia, Pa., to take part in it.
Indiana Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett sent a congratulatory video as well as a representative of his department.
Tuesday afternoon, Leesburg Elementary School celebrated Teresa Jordan's sixth-grade math class winning a statewide math contest sponsored by Apangea Learning, a provider of online supplemental math instruction. Jordan's class won the First Annual Hoosier Math Cup trophy and prizes.
Laura Wilson, Apangea Learning program manager, Indianapolis, told Leesburg students that their work on Apangea has put their school on the map, and inspired every school and student in Indiana.
In recognizing Jordan's class, Louis Piconi, Apangea founder, said, "This class has done an amazing amount of mathematics."
He recognized all the teachers, parents and administrators in attendance at the event.
"None of this is possible without everyone working together to achieve a goal," Piconi said.
Jordan's class beat every class in Indiana, he said, but the greatest prize the students will ever receive is the education they are getting.
When Apangea started out, it was tutoring 23 students. Now, more than 200,000 students are using it, he said, including Leesburg.
Trice Black, IDOE elementary math specialist, said, "On behalf of the Indiana Department of Education, we want to congratulate you on winning the Hoosier Math Cup."
She said the award shows the students worked hard and were very dedicated.
"Congratulations, and keep up the good work!" Black said.
Wilson said the contest was 29 days long. The 24 students in Jordan's class passed 548 threads, which is an average of 22.8 threads per student. The class solved 19,890 problems, which is an average of 686 problems per day. The sixth-graders earned 205,395 points, which is an average of 8,558 points each, Wilson said. The class logged more than 722 hours on the system.
Wilson said all those numbers mean that not only did students work on Apangea during the school day, but also after school, during recess, on weekends and over holidays. She commended the amount of time the students put in.
Besides the t-shirts that each student wore, each student in Jordan's class was presented with a Hoosier Math Cup State Champions certificate and a gift package. The school will get to hold on to the trophy for one year, and got a banner to display.
Jordan talked about how enthusiastic each student was with the program, giving up their recess time to work on it and even doing it over the Christmas holiday break.
"I'm so proud of each and every one of you because without even one of you, we wouldn't be able to do what we did," Jordan said.
Wilson then singled out three of the 24 students for special recognition.
Trenton Thompson was named the MVP. Wilson said Thompson completed more than 100 threads during the time of the contest. Thompson logged more than 85 hours, and solved 3,249 problems, which is an average of 112 problems per day. A couple of weeks during the competition, Wilson said, Thompson was the top student in the country.
Thompson won his choice of an iPad, Wii or $200 gift certificate, and he chose the gift certificate.
Brandon Cervantes and Ronnie Rom won individual prizes for being in the top two of the top three students in the state. They both received certificates and a sports package.
According to Wilson, Cervantes passed 90 threads, logged in more than 42 hours and solved a total of 2,177 problems.
Rom passed 61 threads, logged in more than 51 hours and solved a total of 1,772 problems.
Leesburg Principal Randy Dahms spoke about what it takes to be a champion, including diligence, persistence, hard work and goal setting.
"I'm really proud of you," he said.
Wilson then played the video message from Bennett.
Bennett congratulated Jordan's class for winning the 2010 Hoosier Math Cup. He gave a special shout out to Thompson.
"We're proud of you, and keep up the good work," Bennett told Jordan's class.
For more information about Apangea Learning, visit the website at www.apangealearning.com; or visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/ApangeaMathIndiana for more information about the Hoosier Math Cup.
