Medford elementary students win $25,000 in national math contest
Students at Medford Area Elementary School are celebrating after using their math skills to win a $25,000 tech grant for their school, competing with 70,000 schools and more than 4.2 million students to claim second place overall in the Prodigy National Cup - the world’s biggest math competition.
Students from Medford Elementary School correctly answered almost 700,000 standards-aligned math questions during the inaugural National Cup finals hosted by game-based learning leaders Prodigy Education.
Since January, more than 4.2 million students have represented their schools in monthly contests across every state in the world’s largest math competition. Students collectively answered 625 million math questions correctly on Prodigy’s free-to-use online math platform, with the contest culminating in a thrilling two-week final in May.
The contest went down to the wire, with Medford Elementary School just pipped to the post by Sinking Springs Elementary School in Pennsylvania as outright winner. However, principal Dan Miller said he was extremely proud of his school’s display.
“We were very fortunate to have been a part of the Prodigy National Cup. It led to some great excitement about math, which is at times tough to get this close to the end of the year. Not only are we excited about some truly game changing prize money for our school, more impor-
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Medford Elementary School students wait to find out how they did in the Prodigy National Cup. They took second in the country and won a $25,000 tech grant for the school. tantly I appreciated how this event helped motivate and inspire our staff and students to dig in as we wrap up this school year. We have had a ton of fun learning math this spring thanks to the National Cup.'
Scott Woller, a 3rd grade teacher at Medford Elementary, was integral to driving National Cup participation at the school. He has long incorporated Prodigy Math into his daily lessons and said the contest took student motivation to the next level.
“Thanks to the Prodigy National Cup, there’s no doubt that millions of kids across the country have become better at math. Motivation is key to student success, and Prodigy has always been great at getting my kids excited about math. I’m so proud of their accomplishment. They are all math champions in my eyes, and to finish so high out of 70,000 schools is really astonishing.”
From January through April, schools competed in regional contests for the title of monthly State Champion, with results dictating which tier they would be placed in for the National Cup finals in May. The full list of winners in each tier can be found here, with Platinum prize winners being: 1st prize: The Prodigy National Cup, a $100,000 technology grant, plus gift cards for pizza parties, Prodigy merchandise, an in-game reward for each student participant, and printable certificates to recognize student achievements.
Sinking Springs Elementary School - York, Pennsylvania (728,981 correct answers) 2nd prize: A $25,000 technology grant, plus gift cards for pizza parties, Prodigy merchandise, an in-game reward for each student participant, and printable certificates to recognize student achievements.
Medford Elementary School - Medford, Wisconsin (698,045 correct answers) 3rd-8th prizes: A $10,000 technology grant, plus gift cards for pizza parties, Prodigy merchandise, an in-game reward for each student participant, and printable certificates to recognize student achievements.
A.G. Richardson Elementary School - Culpeper, Virginia (659,587 correct answers) Pine Valley Elementary School - Wilmington, North Carolina (555,501 correct answers) Lake Forest Elementary Charter School - New Orleans, Louisiana (309,421 correct answers) Sacajawea Middle School - Federal Way, Washington (282,941 correct answers) Cornerstone Christian Academy - Morristown, Tennessee (230,515 correct answers) Parlin School - Everett, Massachusetts (210,296 correct answers) Alex Peters, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Prodigy Education, said: “Medford Elementary School should be incredibly proud of this achievement. At Prodigy, our mission has always been to ignite a love of learning - and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how the National Cup inspired students and teachers to come together, embrace a growth mindset, and turn math practice into something truly fun and exciting. We’re celebrating not just the winners, but every one of the more than four million students who joined the world’s biggest math competition. When students are motivated to learn, everyone wins.”
