ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Fifth-grader Daniel Nguyen was the overall winner of the Math Wars at the Hood Elementary School in Lynn.
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — Hood Elementary School students went toe-to-toe to take home the first ever Math War trophy.
Daniel Nguyen, a fifth-grader, defeated 59 other competitors to secure first place in the event.
Twenty students from third, fourth, and fifth grade who proved to be the fastest at solving multiplication problems were chosen to participate.
School children gathered in the auditorium Tuesday to watch the finalists face off. Students formed two lines. One competitor from each faced Katherine Rearick, a fourth grade math teacher, were shown a math problem and tried to solve it before their opponent.
“They have been practicing every day,” said Marissa Miller, a third grade math teacher. “We have had kids staying after for math club to practice. They really care about it.”
Nguyen said he and his younger sister, Megan, who was also a finalist, practice together for at least 20 minutes daily. He didn’t see winning as a possibility until last week, when he realized he was getting “really good,” he said.
“I feel amazing and thrilled,” said Nguyen, who hopes to become an astronomer.
As the winning answer left his mouth, an auditorium full of excited students cheered and chanted his name.
“Daniel is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” Miller said.
Boris Gomez was the third grade champion and Rahmatullah Trawalley was the fourth grade winner.
Principal Gayle Dufour said the idea for a competition came from the math teachers, who wanted to work on math fluency in a fun way. Dufour said she has seen a huge increase in interest and in test scores.
Miller said the event was held before the end of the school year to encourage students to practice over the summer. The fifth grade class will hold the trophy until the fall, when the second competition will be held.
“They worked really hard,” Dufour said. “It engaged them.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at bturcotte@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.