Three Greene schools clean up in math competition

by Steve Sharp
Published: April 17, 2008

In the 24-Challenge Central Virginia Championships Math Competition, Greene schools competed admirably against other area schools, earning all 3 Team Championships at the Elementary Level, one at the Middle School Level, and 3 Individual Champion Awards.  The schools additionally posted all 3 Individual Champions at the Elementary Level. 
In the 3rd Grade Division, R.E.S. won the team award, with N.G.E.S. placing second.  In the 4th Grade and 5th Grade Divisions, N.G.E.S. won both team awards, with R.E.S. placing second in the 4th Grade Div.  The Middle School earned a First Place Finish in the 6th Grade Division.  Overall, N.G.E.S. earned the most points for Elementary Schools with 1,189 points and R.E.S. was second with 722 points. 
Individual Honors for Greene Co. Students:  3rd Grade:  1st Place - Greg Sizemore (R.E.S.), 2nd Place - Alexis Mosqueda (R.E.S.), 3rd Place - Ben Lesko (N.G.E.S.), 4th Place - Meredith Singleton (R.E.S.) 4th Grade - 1st Place - Yancey Harrison (N.G.E.S.), 2nd Place - Danial Mateen (R.E.S.), 3rd Place - Bradley Lesko (N.G.E.S.), 4th Place - Trey Mawyer (N.G.E.S.).  5th Grade - 1st Place - Mohammad Haider (N.G.E.S.), 2nd Place - Arwa Mohammad (R.E.S.), 3rd Place - Cody Perkins (N.G.E.S.), 4th Place - Hamza Zakaria (N.G.E.S.).  6th Grade - 2nd Place - Erica Green, 3rd Place - Victoria Edelman.  7th Grade - 2nd Place - Erin Green.
Other Greene County students earning a seat at the Semi-Finals included Jonathan Richmond and Lindsay Gammon of R.E.S., Zachary Wright and Jared Shifflett of N.G.E.S.  Participants in the Quarter-Finals included Mohammad Mohammad and Daisy Mosqueda of R.E.S., Cody Barker, Nicholas Sipe, and Noah Mills of N.G.E.S., and Cy Lawson, Zaynah Zaatar, Elizabeth Edelman, Najeeha Khan, and Kayla Barker of W.M.M.S.
Respectful play is certainly emphasized in Greene as the skill requires a tremendous amount of concentration and focus.
Because of the fierce level of play at the Championships, weekly practices begin in the fall or early winter and a team-like atmosphere is created.  Sportsmanship and dedication are important if a team is to find success.
If many students at a school participate, students have to earn a spot as a representative for their team through a playoff system (similar to the Championships) to determine who will go to the Championships, with alternates to back them up. 
Because earning a spot as a representative means the player is an “ambassador” for not only the team, but the school and Greene Co. as well, it’s quite an honor for a student just having a seat at the Championships.
The event, held on March 28th at Sutherland Middle School, pits area schools against one another in a higher level Math skill, which is the 24-Game developed by Suntex.  The event is co-sponsored by both Albemarle County Schools and Teacher’s Edition in Charlottesville.  The skill itself involves taking 4 numbers and, over the course of 3 equations, arriving at the number 24.  For example, if the numbers on a card are 3, 2, 9, and 7, a solution could be 3x7=21, 21-9=12, 12x2=24.  Four competitors sit across from each other, and the first player to touch and solve the problem wins that card and the card’s points.  A player may earn 3, 2, or 1 points, based on the level of difficulty in discovering the pattern.  Over the course of the various rounds (Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, and Finals), points are accumulated and winning players move on to the next rounds.