January 14, 2009
CONTACT: Meg Fullwood
214-740-9377
mfullwood@kera.org
North Texas Students and Teachers Share Learning
Adventure with KERA's Do the Math Contest
Cash and Prizes Awarded
DALLAS/FORT WORTH: Math is a learning adventure for the students and teachers taking part in KERA’s Do the Math competition. The contest challenges participants to create word problems illustrating how math is used in the real world. Eighteen students from 16 North Texas school districts, private schools and home-schools were honored for their contributions at a special awards ceremony at the KERA Studios on Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
Building on the success of the 2007 inaugural program, which focused on students and teachers in grades 3 to 6, this year’s Do the Math competition was expanded to include students in grades K to 6. KERA received more than 600 submissions, which were judged by a panel of educators. Contest details and the winning problems in each category are available at MathCanTakeYouPlaces.org. Do the Math is the joint project of KERA’s Educational Resource Center and Travelocity (a Sabre Holdings company).
“Do the Math is a fun way to help students build confidence using math,” says Barbara Anderson, director of social responsibility with Sabre Holdings. “Travelocity and Sabre Holdings are pleased to sponsor a project that helps students understand how math is used in many challenging careers, including the travel industry.”
Teachers participating in the Do the Math competition received cash awards. The grand prize winner was Arezou Laridjani of Williams Elementary School in the Garland ISD who received $500. Runner up Christina Cottongame of Rhea Elementary School in Forney ISD was awarded $350.
Participating students received prizes including amusement park tickets, bikes and technology. Grand prize winners in kindergarten and 1st grade received four tickets to Six Flags Over Texas. Runners up received bikes, helmets and pads. Grand prize winners in the grade 2 to 6 category were awarded iPod nanos and $50 iTunes Gift Cards. Runners up received four tickets to Six Flags Over Texas or an iPod shuffle and a $50 iTunes gift card. The honorable mention recipients were awarded with iPod shuffles and $25 iTunes Gift Cards.
A first grade student with Johnson Elementary in Carroll ISD took top honors in this category. Caitlyn Clarke was awarded the grand prize. Rachel Anderson, a home-schooled student from Frisco, was runner up.
Among second graders, the grand prize award went to Raquel Dalcour of Rasor Elementary in Plano ISD. Ryan Seltzer of Rockenbaugh Elementary in Carroll ISD received the award for runner up.
Top prizes in the third grade included grand prize winner Jared Greer with Faith Christian School in the Grapevine ISD. Connor Hoskins with The Children's Workshop in Plano was runner up and Hasnat Ahmad with Wilshire Elementary in Hurst Euless Bedford ISD received honorable mention.
Fourth grade award recipients included home-schooled student Sophia Radke who received the grand prize. Ellie Perkovich with Glen Oaks Elementary in McKinney ISD was the runner up.
In the 5th grade category, Aayush Goyal with Wyatt Elementary in Plano ISD was awarded the grand prize. Ethan Taliaferro with A.V. Cato Elementary in Castelberry ISD was runner up and Jason Renfrew with Rosemont Elementary in Dallas ISD received honorable mention.
Award recipients in the sixth grade included Sam Bush with McCulloch Intermediate School in the Highland Park ISD who took the grand prize. Blake Lanter with Mary Orr Intermediate in Mansfield ISD was runner up and Miguel Rodriguez with Mary Orr Intermediate received honorable mention.
Do the Math is the latest chapter of Math Can Take You Places™ – created by KERA in partnership with Travelocity (a Sabre Holdings company) and developed by a team of North Texas teachers. The Math Can Take You Places materials are designed to help teachers better prepare their students for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and other standardized tests. The curriculum includes videos, lesson plans and educational games using real-world scenarios to help students better understand five of the most challenging algebra readiness concepts; patterns, equivalency, reasonableness, measurement and problem solving. For more information about Math Can Take You Places, including resources for teachers, please visit the program's Web site at MathCanTakeYouPlaces.org.
Sabre Holdings connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. Sabre Holdings supports travelers, travel agents, corporations, government agencies and travel suppliers through its companies: Travelocity, Sabre Travel network and Sabre Airline Solutions. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, the company has approximately 9,000 employees in 59 countries and is owned by private equity firms Silver Lake Partners and TPG. More information is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com
Math Can Take You Places is an extension of KERA's commitment to providing educational, cultural and civic services to North Texans. The program is currently in use by over 1,000 North Texas educators, touching nearly 50,000 students and is being broadcast in 11 states. With this and other nationally recognized projects such as Ready for Life and North Texas Student Voices, KERA's Educational Resource Center has had an impact on the lives of thousands of educators, parents and children through outreach and training.
