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Mathematics Day inspires country youngsters

June 08, 2005

A common interest in mathematics enabled school students from throughout northern NSW, including some from remote regions, to share their enthusiasm during the annual Year 8 Mathematics Day at The University of New England.

Eight students from Lightning Ridge Central School were among about 200 taking part in the day of competitive calculation last Friday [3 June]. This was the first time that Lightning Ridge had participated in the UNE event, now in its eleventh year. It was one of about 30 schools represented at the Mathematics Day.

Undaunted by the eight-hour drive, the Lightning Ridge contingent, accompanied by their teachers Deanna Willmot and Inna Skrypay, arrived in Armidale the previous day. They threw themselves with enthusiasm into the competition, answering a very creditable 23 out of 25 questions in one of the early sessions.

“They’re really happy with their achievement,” Ms Skrypay said. Ms Willmot pointed out that, for students from a relatively remote community such as Lightning Ridge, the Mathematics Day was an invaluable opportunity to meet students from other areas with a similar interest in mathematics. “The social-interaction aspect of the day has been good for them,” she said. “And, academically, it will definitely arouse their interest in mathematics and enable them to see the relevance of what they do in class.”

While Lighting Ridge was there for the first time, some of the schools have competed year after year. UNE’s Professor John Pegg, Director of the National Centre of Science, ICT and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR Australia), said: “Year 8 is a critical time in a student’s mathematical development, between consolidating primary-school learning in Year 7 and the more advanced studies of Year 9 and beyond.” SiMERR Australia (which is based at UNE), the New England Mathematical Association, and UNE’s School of Education jointly organised the event.

The team from Manilla Central School won the category for central schools, and the team from Bishop Druitt College, Coffs Harbour, won the high-school category. Each of the four members of the winning teams received a certificate and medallion, and the two teams took the Mathematics Day’s perpetual trophies back to their schools. A team from Dorrigo High School won the last task of the day, which tested the students’ practical application of mathematics in a bridge-building exercise.

“It was a really successful day,” said the convener of the event, Anne Parnell of SiMERR Australia. “Because of their long drive home, Lightning Ridge had to leave before the drawing of the lucky door prizes at the very end of the day,” she continued. “So now I’ll have the pleasant task of ringing them to let them know they won one of the prizes: a class set of 15 graphics calculators (plus one for the teacher), an overhead view screen and a professional development package, with a total value of nearly $4,000.” Four other schools won similar lucky door prizes (all donated by the sponsor Texas Instruments): Duval High School (Armidale), Armidale High School, Warialda High School, and Toormina High School (Coffs Harbour).


Media contact: Anne Parnell, SiMERR Australia, UNE (02) 6773 2280 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at June 8, 2005 01:35 PM