It’s All Adding Up

Middle School Students Participate in Google Math Competition

(Washington, DC) — Students made every moment count at the second annual DC Public Schools (DCPS) Math Competition hosted by Google where eighty-four scholars represented 14 middle schools across all eight wards.

DCPS Chancellor, Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee, shared his love of math with the students and offered a history lesson on how math played a role in Google’s creation.

“Over 25 years ago, when the Internet was still in its early days, there was a lot of information to sort through,” Chancellor Ferebee said. “Google’s founders used advanced math algorithms to create a system for ranking webpages, to show searchers what sites were most relevant.”

The chancellor encouraged students to pursue their passion. “I hope you continue to love and appreciate all that is great about math,” he said, “And keep thinking about how it can be used to solve a plethora of problems.” 

Teams rotated through five stations to demonstrate their proficiency in various math skills. These included rapid response, where students worked together to quickly find the answer to a standards-aligned problem, and math movement, which had students solve a problem based on movement and physical activity.  

Aubrey Barnes, a sixth grader at Kelly Miller Middle School, was initially nervous about the competition. “But then I got excited when I started working through the math problems. The solutions felt easier when I talked with my team.”

Barnes said she has loved math since before she started school. “It’s not that easy, but it’s familiar. Having this opportunity feels really amazing. And I know without my mother I wouldn’t have gotten here today.”

Josephine Davis, who attends Stuart Hobson Middle School as a seventh grader, remembered being excited when her teacher told her about this opportunity. “I was a little nervous, but then I got really excited, because I love math. My elementary and middle school teachers always made math fun, and they encouraged me to do my best. And my best is what I feel I’m doing here today.”

In the end, MacFarland Middle School’s Team 1, comprising Arisha Kashem, Alana Hrivnak, and Joscelin Tacam, finished in first place.

“We are incredibly proud of Arisha, Alana, and Joscelin for the hard work, perseverance, and teamwork they demonstrated throughout the year,” said math teacher Brianna Pearson, seconded by her colleague Sarah Bax. “We’re also incredibly thankful for the opportunity for our DCPS middle school students to participate in a competition of this caliber, especially in such an inspiring setting as Google HQ.”

Rounding out the podium were Hardy Middle School’s Teams 2 and 1, respectively. The second-place group included Holden Consentino, Victor Ionescu, and Arya Aboughaddareh. Olivia Anderson, Hugo Arsenault, and Aniysa Aishajiang clinched third place.

The winners received medals to the applause of Google staff, their teachers, and fellow students.