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PA Cyber takes top honor in national online math challenge
MIDLAND, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School was the highest scoring school in the VMath Live Northeast Region Mania Math Challenge. PA Cyber was among the more than 450 schools in the Northeast that took part in the online math competition, which was held Oct. 14 and 15.
Over 1000 PA Cyber students in grades four through eight participated in the 48 hour online challenge, where they competed against 14,600 other students in a real-time math competition of speed and accuracy to answer as many questions for their school as possible.
Ten PA Cyber math classes ranked in the top 50 among participating classes and two sixth-grade students placed in the top three overall. Dustin Marquardt of Lebanon, Pa. placed second and Caleb Hixon of Mars, Pa., placed third.
PA Cyber math teacher Lori Dodd, who first got her math students involved in the 2009 VMath Live World Math Challenge, is happy that students not only participated, but excelled in the Math Mania Challenge. “This was something fun for the kids, but it was also really good at teaching them the skills they need.”
Since participating in the challenge, “students have become faster and more proficient in their math skills,” said Dodd. “We were able to compete against students from other countries. And because students in other countries were faster, that made our students work harder and faster, and become better.”
In recognition of the students’ hard work, VMath Live will present PA Cyber with a banner and plaque to hang in the school and a pizza party, said VMath live spokesperson Shannon Overbeck. The students who finished in the top 10 will each receive a trophy.
PA Cyber director Andrew Oberg was very pleased with the school’s showing. Dodd said he is encouraging all eligible students to participate in the 2010 World Math Challenge, which will be held in the spring.
About PA Cyber: The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (www.pacyber.org) is an online public school providing a state-approved K-12 education tuition-free to students in Pennsylvania. With more than 8,500 students enrolled statewide, PA Cyber is the largest and most successful of the 11 cyber charter schools operating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. An indicator of school success, PA Cyber met federal AYP guidelines in 2009, achieving all 29 AYP academic and performance targets in state PSSA testing. PA Cyber celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2010.