Oxford Elementary was awash in a sea of gold, silver and bronze medals as the school’s vaunted mathletes made names for themselves at the Math Pentathlon held Saturday at Royal Oak Middle School.
‘I’m very, very proud of the students and every single one of them deserves acknowledgment for even being able to compete,? said Marty Knox, a parent volunteer who serves as the team’s leader.
More than 460 fourth and fifth-graders, including 19 students from OES, competed in the Division III Math Pentathlon.
Each student competes in a total of five games that involve mathematical facts, problem-solving and strategy.
‘All 19 kids were new to the Math Pentathlon this year, so I taught them all the games and helped prepare them for competition,? said Knox, who noted the team practiced every Monday for one hour since October.
Katie Guthrie walked away with the highest honor on the OES team. She was awarded the Hall of Fame Gold Medal.
‘She won every game and that’s very difficult to do,? Knox said.
Principal Debbie Stout indicated that’s the first time an OES student has won the Hall of Fame Gold.
‘We’ve had gold medals before, but never this one,? she said.
Keehgan Leone earned a gold medal for winning four games and tieing one.
Emily Zeliasko won four games and lost one, earning herself a silver medal.
Five students earned bronze medals for their 3-1-1 records. They were Brendan Binson, Greg Knox, Collin Thompson, Drew Daily and Madison Dinges.
Earning honorable mentions were Ethan Cutler, Joslyn Meixell, Kristen Ewald and Nick Gwisdalla.
Knox was very proud of how the OES team conducted itself at the competition.
‘Their sportsmanship in representing Oxford was tremendous,? she said. ‘Even though it’s an individual competition, they really acted like a team. They supported each other, especially during moments when maybe a student didn’t do as well as they’d hoped to.?
‘The camaraderie was outstanding.?