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Crystal Beatley and her sons, Stephen and Clayton, have their picture taken with Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno. Beatley entered a contest on MathMovesU.com and won a trip for her Freedom Middle School students Nolan Didonato, Lucerita Umana, Samantha Boyce, Amanda Shaw and Lama Sleem, among others, enjoy time with Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno in Washington on April 26. |
Would you rather do your math homework out of a textbook or go see Apolo Anton Ohno skate around a fountain on Capitol Hill? For a group of seventh-graders, seeing Olympic gold medalist Ohno in Washington last month was part of their math homework.
The field trip actually began in the fall, when Freedom Middle School seventh-grade math teacher Crystal Beatley entered a contest online at MathMovesU.com. The aim was for teachers to show how they make math fun for their students and relate it to their everyday lives. The prize was to be a celebrity substitute. When Beatley found out she won the contest, she had no idea the prize was far greater than she expected.
Her team of students would be treated to a day on Capitol Hill with special guests including Sen. Edward Kennedy, Rep. Jo Ann Davis and, of course, Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno. The day was organized and paid for by Raytheon, the sponsor of MathMovesU.com.
Both Kennedy and Davis spoke with the students about the importance of math in their daily lives and in their future career choices. They commended Beatley for making math fun for her students and helping the children to make the real-world-math connection.
Next, Jonathan Farley and Sarah Greenwald shared stories of how math has taken them to Hollywood as consultants for such TV programs as "The Simpsons" and "NUMB3RS."
For the grand finale, Ohno skated out to greet the children. The Olympian expressed his delight and surprise that math has made such a difference in his life. He challenged the seventh-graders to see how math connects with their daily lives.
To add some excitement to the day, he invited the children to watch him race around a fountain, stopping to give autographs, pose for pictures and visit with the very enthusiastic young teens.
His performance was clocked with a radar gun and a stopwatch by Freedom Middle School students Sydney Kimbrough and Marquise Williams.
All of the students were very excited that Beatley had won the contest that gave them this great opportunity. The fun continued as the children used the Web site MathMovesU.com to complete their homework that evening.
--Debra Heckman
