Middleton principal goes on the roof for mathematics

Arthur Middleton Elementary School Principal Greg Miller climbed onto the school's roof Wednesday, April 30, in the name of one promise and mathematics.

Miller, along with his vice principal Tara Moore and Meighan Hungerford, coordinator of elementary school instruction for Charles County Public Schools, promised the more than 450 students that they would spend the day on the roof of the school if the students solved 250,000 mathematics problems as part of the school's second annual "Quarter million math challenge."

Students from all grade levels competed to complete math problems in the challenge, which kicked off in October 2007. Students were required to complete grade-level problems that were not part of their math class activities or homework.

Teachers also put together packets of math problems, parents purchased workbooks for their children and other students found worksheets on instructional websites. Collection boxes were placed at the front office for students to submit their entries.

At the end of the challenge, Middleton students completed a total of 372,810 math problems, with the third-grade class solving the most problems: 110,059. Middleton kindergarten students solved 23,081 problems. The first-grade class solved 32,596 problems and students in the second grade at Middleton solved the second highest amount, with 104,167.

The fourth- and fifth-grade classes solved a total of 102,637 problems, with the fourth-graders solving 79,272 and the fifth graders solving 23,635.

Middleton third-grade teacher Cyndi Bartolomeo and her accelerated math students counted the problems and incorporated them into their class lessons.

"This exercise incorporated many different math skills as students tallied the mounds of papers and problems, compiled the data and created tables and graphs to show grade-level progress throughout the challenge," Bartolomeo said.

As the tally of math problems was kept on a grade-level basis, the challenge also became a sort of inter-grade competition. Megan Lima, Middleton's technology instructor, provided time during computer lab sessions and said the students worked hard to meet the challenge goal.

"The students actually begged to do more math problems. They were so excited and eager. How could I ever say, 'No, you can't do anymore math problems'," Lima said.

Students gathered in the school auditorium to celebrate their challenge success and to see Miller off to the roof. The student body chanted "on the roof, roof, roof" as Miller disappeared onto the stairwell leading to the roof. The entire school then went outside to the school's playground area to see Miller fulfilling his promise.

Miller and Moore sat on the roof in folding chairs during all Middleton recess periods, starting at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m., and waved at the students on the playground. Miller even had a football and played a mini game of "catch" as he kicked the football down to the students on the playground.

Middleton students launched the challenge last school year after reading about a similar student challenge in the "My Weird School" book series in which the fictional principal agrees to dress as a gorilla if the students complete a math problem challenge. During the first challenge, the students completed more than 287,000 problems, and Miller, as promised, dressed in a costume and danced for his students during a post Maryland School Assessments (MSA) celebration.

Bartolomeo said the school is planning to keep the challenge going each year, in hopes that it becomes a tradition at Middleton.

Pictured above is Meighan Hungerford, coordinator of elementary instruction for Charles County Public Schools, left, and Greg Miller, principal of Arthur Middleton Elementary School, right, as they stand on top of the school's roof and wave to Middleton students. Miller, along with Hungerford and Middleton's Vice Principal Tara Moore, promised the students that they would spend an afternoon on the roof if the students solved 250,000 or more mathematics problems as part of the school's second annual "Quarter million math challenge."