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On Saturday, May 1, PREP-KC hosted students from 12 urban hig h schools as they competed individually and as teams for top math honors, prizes and scholarships. Cerner Corporation providing underwriting and T-shirts for the nearly 300 students who competed, and KCP&L provided employee-volunteers to assist teachers with test monitoring. Students in grades 9 through 12 competed in various divisions; students in the advanced division sat for seven exams throughout the day.
An awards ceremony completed the day of competition. THe top six scorers from the competition will receive scholarships to attend the Summer Engineering Camp at the University of Kansas. See the complete list of winners from the daylong competition.
Students and their math teachers ahve been preparing throughout the entire school year for the Regional Math Relays. PREP-KC, in partnership wtih six  urban school districts, has been providing access to highly skilled math coaches who have worked with students and their teachers to bring math instruction to college-ready levels through this Math Benchmarking initiative. Additionally many schools have launched Math Achievers clubs to extend math practice beyond the school day. Teachers in these high schools will continue to work closely with district leaders and PREP-KC's math coaches to create a college-going culture in the Kansas City region's urban high schools.
The Math Relays competition is just one example of how this strategy is put into practice in a very tangible and inspiring way.
"I was delighted to see 1,400 students coming to school at 6 a.m. on a Saturday to compete in math," said Dr. Juanita Hempstead, principal of Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. "They were not only there voluntarily, they were really excited! We were all so impressed with these dedicated students. We definitely want to develop this same opportunity for the students at Paseo."
Now middle school and high school students from all six of PREP-KC's partner districts are preparing to participate in the first annual Regional Math Relays Competition, which will be hosted at Wyandotte High School. Four hundred students in all—25 from each school—have been invited to attend the all-day event and participate in a variety of individual and team competitions.
PREP-KC is receiving support from Cerner Corporation to assist with the costs of the Relays, and volunteers from Kansas City Power & Light will be assisting in coordination. For more information on the Math Benchmarking Conference or the PREP-KC Regional Math Relays, contact Susan Engelmann.
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