Four teams from Bryant went to the Washington State Math Championship for 5th through 8th graders on Saturday, April 18, 2009. Bryant’s teams competed against 91 other 5th grade teams from public and private schools in the state. Many of the students are from top 1% programs such as Seattle’s APP.

Leonard C., Sabrina J., Porter J., and Alex R. placed 17th. Eli M., Nate S., Quinn T. and Andrew Z. placed 36th. Maddy A., Jacob C., Claire H. and Madeline S. placed 53rd. Emily H., Helen K. and Wenle M. placed 65th. These were excellent results.

Bryant fifth graders have participated in Math Competitions for seventeen years. While placing well is nice, there is also a great benefit to being exposed to more advanced mathematical reasoning.

The students work with volunteer coaches from October to April to prepare for the competition. The coaches this year were Monty McGovern, Eve Risken, Rebecca Yeatman, Raymond Lee, Brad Axel, Eric Rickert, Kristen Spencer and myself. The students also get a lot of help from parents and family members. I would like to thank all of the students, parents and volunteers for all their hard work that helped to make this such a special and successful year.

Thank you, Gil Flanagan

There are currently two math clubs at Bryant. The first one is open to 5th graders and meets twice a week beginning in September. This volunteer driven program has an accelerated curriculum, which prepares the students to participate in the annual Math Championships held each spring in Blaine, Washington. Students are invited to join based on teacher recommendations.

The 4th grade Math Club begins in December and meets one morning per week before school. It is open to any 4th grade student who desires to further their math skills in a creative and fun environment. This parent led group is limited to the first 25 kids who enroll.