Eastlake High School buzzed with activity as the top math students from each elementary school in the Socorro Independent School District competed March 29 in the SISD 8th Annual District Math Bee.
During the competition, students, such as fourth-grader Thiago Carranza from Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary, had just three seconds to mentally solve problems using number sense strategies and provide the correct answers.
“I'm just a fierce competitor,” said Carranza, whose un-bee-lievable math skills helped him clinch first place in the fourth-grade math contest.
“It’s important because we all get this opportunity to compete with the whole district and all the schools and representing our school is an honor,” Carranza added.
The Math Bee is a competition designed to enhance math fluency and number sense for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Its goal is to promote numeracy and build a positive math community.
The competition consists of several rounds, during which students are presented with math problems that they must answer correctly within a specified time limit to advance to the next round. The student with the highest number of correct answers in each grade level is named the District Math Bee Champion for that grade.
Richard Radell from Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy won the fifth-grade competition, making history as the first winner of a double-elimination round in the Math Bee.
“I got a little bit nervous in the start, but when I was top three, I just felt good,” Radell said.
Radell spent weeks preparing for the competition and practicing equations at school and at home really paid off.
“My favorite subject is math. It feels like just accomplishing a goal like you could do a lot of stuff with math in the future with jobs like engineering or surgeon,” Radell said.
Fabiola Jordan, SISD instructional officer for elementary math, said that the Math Bee provides students with the opportunity to learn about competition, to win or lose gracefully, and to prepare for their futures.
“Math is a building block. It's needed in everyday life,” Jordan said. “But it's also the foundation of those careers that we know are in such high demand in science, technology and computer engineering, and so this is helping them lay that foundation.”
Mike Delgado called out to his son, “You got this!” as the kindergarten competition was about to begin. His confidence paid off when Ares Delgado from Escontrias STEAM Academy took first place.
“I’m smart!” Ares Delgado proudly said.
Mike Delgado was excited to watch both of his sons compete. His other son, a fifth grader, also participated in the Math Bee.
“I'm really big on academics and math because I love math, too, so anything to help them out for the future, I'm willing to do,” Mike Delgado said.
SISD 8th Annual District Math Bee Winners
Kindergarten
First Place – Ares Delgado, Escontrias STEAM Academy
Second Place – Derick Figueroa, Paso Del Norte Fine Academy
Third Place – Christopher Castañeda, Chester E. Jordan Elementary
First Grade
First Place – Michael-Ray Crawford, O’Shea Keleher Whole Child Academy
Second Place – Joshua Ray, Purple Heart Elementary
Third Place – Matias Mendoza, Robert R. Rojas Elementary
Second Grade
First Place – Carlos Muñoz, Loma Verde Elementary
Second Place – Evelyn Chain, H.D. Hilley Elementary
Third Place – Israel Montero, Campestre Elementary
Third Grade
First Place – Mateo Aguilar, Campestre Elementary
Second Place – Zaid Garcia, Col. Ben Narbuth Elementary
Third Place – Yahir Fernandez, Loma Verde Elementary
Fourth Grade
First Place – Thiago Carranza, Sgt. Jose F. Carrasco Elementary
Second Place – Cameron Franks, Col. Ben Narbuth Elementary
Third Place – Roger Terrazas, Loma Verde Elementary
Fifth Grade
First Place – Richard Radell, Vista del Sol Environmental Science Academy
Second Place – David Mbale, Chester E. Jordan Elementary
Third Place – Roslyn Britton, Elfida P. Chavez Elementary
Sweepstakes Winner
Loma Verde Elementary