S.C. McPherson Junior High School recently marked its 10th Annual Interschool Mathematics Competition with fourteen participating schools. For over a decade, and for the second time virtually, the competition has brought together the best and brightest students from government schools across The Bahamas with support from Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd (CWCO).
Under the theme “Back to Basics: Bridging the Gap in Numeracy and in Literacy”, students from New Providence and the Family Islands used the game-based learning platform Kahoot! to put their arithmetic skills, speed and correctness to the ultimate test. The event’s sponsors, CWCO and the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, ensured the competition’s organizers were able to adequately prepare and prize each junior high schooler.
Kiffany Daxon, a mathematics teacher and the competition’s founder hopes the competition can grow its audience and have private school inclusion as well as international involvement in the coming years.
“In 2007, we started the competition with just five junior high schools. Students across The Bahamas are gifted in literacy and numeracy and this is a great platform for them,” said Ms. Daxon.
“Consolidated Water Ltd has been sponsoring us for years and we are so grateful because it allows us to not only draw attention to the importance of math and make it fun, but to also reward the students with excellent prizes for their efforts.”
This year, the grand prize was awarded to the Patrick J. Bethel High School in Abaco. Second place was secured by Anatol Rodgers High School in New Providence and third place by Sister Mary Patricia Russell Junior High School in Grand Bahama. Participants from those winning schools received 100 dollars, 75 dollars and 50 dollars respectively. All students received a goodie bag filled with math tools.
Consolidated Water Ltd (Bahamas) applauds the students, teachers and administrators involved in the math competition. CWCO General Manager Henderson Cash and other employees tuned into the competition via Zoom.
“Each year, we look forward to supporting our nation’s mathletes. This competition promotes the importance of mathematical skills and is the foundation for many careers that CWCO offers,” said Mr. Cash.
He added, “It is our hope that the competition will continue to succeed over the next decade and beyond as its participating students use their experience to their academic and professional advantage.”
