Awards Ceremony Address by Lisa Mack

Last spring, when we first began discussing the possibility of having a Math Pentathlon club here at Fern Bluff, I was encouraged to keep it small. Have 12 kids, maybe 20 total? Truly, my heart couldn’t handle the disappointment that would result in turning away any student (my disappointment) and so we set out to build a club in which parents could each offer their time and talents, which would allow us to grow it for more students. We set out to make a club where new friends from different grade levels helped each other learn how to play the games, how to think differently, how to see future moves, and how to defend their position. The Fern Bluff Math Pentathlon club is not simply an after-school activity. We are a family of families each participating in some aspect of the Math Pentathlon club at Fern Bluff. We knew the payoff was great: our kids would develop math strategies; and learn critical thinking skills, good sportsmanship, and self-confidence through game play. How can it get any better than that? Let me tell you how; by the numbers:

BY THE NUMBERS:

9 Teachers supporting us by letting us use their rooms each week for our classes

21 Moms & Dads as our full-time Volunteer Staff serving as coaches, rule experts, and monitors each and every Tuesday

32 Parents as rotating Volunteers on Tuesdays 57 Parents as Tournament Supervisors

136 Students in Math Pentathlon: 40 from Kinder/First, 60 from Second/Third, 36 from Fourth/Fifth

94 Students at 3 tournaments

20 Honorable Mentions earning 11 points

9 Bronze Medalists earning 12 points

17 Silver Medalists earning 13 points

5 Gold Medalists earning 14 points

7 Hall of Fame Gold Medalists earning 15 points. These kids won all 5 of their games!

And, finally, it gets better like this:

There is only ONE 2009 National Champion and it’s Fern Bluff Elementary!