Math Cup: Part of the Student Success Equation Approaching the gym at Weston Ranch High School, excited voices and laughter could be heard through the walls. It’s the annual Math Cup – and students from August Knodt and George Y. Komure Elementary Schools made the trip to the high school to compete, while Great Valley self-facilitated at their school. The Math Cup is held annually by the Advantage Future Teacher (AFT) Program with the help of high school math students. Each year, general education 5th graders as well as 4th-6th grade students in special day classes participate in the event. The event launched in the Weston Ranch area in 2018 and has since expanded to the Lathrop and Sierra regions. AFT and Math Cup Coordinator Stacia Lagomarsino says the goal of the event is to “get students excited about doing things related to math and, hopefully, foster some young mathematicians.” She wants students to learn to think outside the box and use logic in problem-solving. At the Math Cup, students break out into small groups to work on a variety of math puzzles and projects. They huddle close around their tables as they work together to figure out patterns to get the right answers, use spatial reasoning skills to manipulate shapes, and compete to build the tallest tower using craft supplies. Once all of the events are complete, the overall winning school will earn the Math Cup trophy for the year. The winning class per school and winning team within each class will also be announced.
According to 5th grade August Knodt teacher Mrs. Dorman, her students “are excited to come every year. They love the competition.” In addition to working on grade level standards such as pattern recognition, multiplication, geometry, and mathematical reasoning skills, she sees her students learning perseverance and team work. “Some teams were having trouble working together at the beginning, but they figured out how to work as a team and focus on solving the problem,” she said. “This will help them when we get back to the classroom, they will be able to see that they can push through when something gets difficult.” Weston Ranch junior Jeannette Thomas is a member of the Advantage Future Teacher program and a PreCalculus student. This is her third year helping at the Math Cup and she wishes this event had existed when she was in 5th grade. “It gets them excited about math. I love seeing the kids working together and their excitement when they figure out the puzzle,” she said. Komure Vice Principal Sella Groves is happy to watch her students interacting and collaborating, “the handson activities build interest and helps them learn math in an approachable way. They will take all of the information they
are learning today back into their classrooms and apply it to meeting essential standards.” Beyond the classroom, she says, “They haven’t had a field trip in quite some time, it’s good to get them out and let them see the high school, learn from their high school mentors, and see where they are headed in just a few short years.”
Students from Stella Brockman and Brock Elliott also participated in Math Cup from their classrooms. Eighteen Sierra High students helped lead the 5th grade teams in the math competition. “There was 100% engagement and many great conversations between the students and student-teachers focused on problem solving,” remarked Sierra High Principal Steve Clark. Brock Elliott Principal David Silveira is already looking forward to the next event, “There was a lot of excitement, I can’t wait for our kids to do something like this again!” Lathrop schools (Mossdale, Lathrop El., and Joseph Widmer) will be competing on Friday, February 25. Check out our social media pages for highlights!