Several students from Burbank Unified schools received recognition for their efforts in the Math Madness competition at the most recent Board of Education meeting held on February 4. Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary won the championship for their division.
Math Madness is a national online math competition hosted by AreteLabs, explained Jennifer Almer, Curriculum Specialist at Joaquin Miller Elementary School and GATE Coordinator for Burbank Unified School District.
“We got to play all sorts of schools from all over the nation from Hawaii to Chicago,” said Almer. “It was very exciting.”
Three hundred thirty BUSD students from grades four through 12 participated in the initial “preseason games.” Burbank’s highest scoring teams went on to the “NCAA Style Tournament” playoffs. Students attended weekly coaching sessions and matches and some chose to do extra practice on weekends, said Almer.
The elementary schools who went into the “postseason” were Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Stevenson Elementary and Miller Elementary. John Muir Middle School and John Burroughs High School were finalists in their respective categories.
The high scorers amongst the BUSD finalists were: Niteesh Patil and Japleen Kaur Chhabra from Jefferson, Aryan Danesh and Agampreet Kaur from Miller, Anjena Raja from Muir who was also ranked nationally at 50 for her ability and Maggie Roberts from Burroughs.
Almer also recognized Brennan Klier from Bret Harte Elementary. In preseason he was one of the high scorers in elementary and although his team did not advance to the finals, he continued to join in with the coaching sessions and exercises for the remainder of the season.
Stevenson went up against 36 other teams in the finals, ultimately winning the championship for their division. Each division (elementary, middle and high school) began with more than 150 teams at the start of the Math Madness competition season.
Stevenson Elementary team members included Pratikshha Anan, Sofia Apice, Kylee Beveridge, Saanvi Biswal, Benjamin Covarrubias, Lakshya Edara, Enzo Fujita, Avery Koenig, Nischal Mellahalli, Rayhil Shah (also nationally ranked at 67 by Math Madness), Atharva Shimpi and Avaneesh Suryavanashi.
There’s a Spring version of Math Madness that many BUSD elementary schools are currently participating in with their own teams, Almer said, noting that she administered the teams for the Fall season.
“It was so exciting and fun that other people wanted to be part of it,” she added. “We’re glad that other kids are going to have a chance at this experience in the Spring.”
“This is fantastic news,” commented Board President Steve Frintner. “We love seeing this.”
“We are so proud of all of you,” added Clerk Steve Ferguson. “Thank you for representing our entire community… and you’ve done it in such an incredible way.”
The Burbank Board of Education is comprised of President Steve Frintner, Vice President Charlene Tabet, Clerk Steve Ferguson and members Dr. Armond Aghakhanian and Dr. Emily Weisberg. More information on the Board can be found online on their webpage.
