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May 17, 2018
Students crowned Grand Champions in math contest
Sixth grader Libby Eannarino and eighth grader Daniel Wang were crowned Grand Champions at the regional 24 Challenge competition on May 8, 2018, at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Libby finished first in the grade 6 division and Daniel took first place in the seven/eight division.
The 24 Challenge is a math card game in which the objective is to find a way to manipulate four integers so that the end result is 24. The beginning version of the game uses four single-digit numbers. As students gain skill, the game is played with double-digit numbers, exponents, integers, fractions and even variables.
More than 80 students in grades four through eight from Allegheny County competed at the AIU’s regional competition. In addition to Libby and Daniel, seven other Upper St. Clair middle school students competed at the regional competition – all of whom advanced to the semifinals.- Grade 5: Shawn Khurana and Joshua Anand
- Grade 6: Shubham Patel and Dhruv Saggi
- Grade 7: Keshav Narasimhan, Qadir Khan and Ipsita Singh
Boyce students were coached by Kathleen Hoedeman, math resource teacher. Fort Couch students were coached by Andy Lucas, seventh grade math teacher, and assisted by Connie Gibson, gifted coordinator.
“Our students really are quite remarkable, breathtaking really, as they play this math game,” Mrs. Hoedeman said. “The first round is always single digits, second round is double digits and the semifinals and finals use single and double digit variable cards, with the last round asking them to find the value for one variable that will make 4 cards equal 24 all at the same time. Mind boggling!”
In addition to the regional 24 Challenge competition, several Upper St. Clair students successfully competed in the local South Hills Tournament on April 30, 2018, at West Jefferson Hills School District.
At the sixth grade level, Libby Eannarino, Shubham Patel and Dhruv Saggi finished first, second and third, respectively. In the fifth grade division, Joshua Anand came in fourth. And, in the seven/eight division, Fort Couch students Keshav Narasimhan, Daniel Wang and Qadir Khan swept first, second and third, respectively.
Approximately 65 students in grades four through eight from various schools in the South Hills competed in the event. In addition to the seven students who placed first through fourth, fifth graders Shawn Khurana and Esha Lathia also participated in the math competition.
Boyce conducted preliminary rounds in all 24 homerooms. Each homeroom sent a “champion” to the all-school competition where the top competitors in both fifth and sixth grades were determined. These students represented their school at the South Hills tournament and, subsequently, the regional tournament.
