Piney Chapel Elementary receives statewide recognition

LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — A Limestone County school is helping students make connections between the mathematics they learn in the classroom and its application to their daily lives.

Piney Chapel Elementary School came in first place in The Office of Mathematics Improvement’s Numeracy Act Spring Challenge. The school was presented with a banner Wednesday afternoon for their participation.

“We hope this award gets them pumped up about doing math and also lets them know they can do math,” The Office of Mathematics Improvement Region 2 Coordinator Christy Lockhart said. “This is the foundation and they’re getting a solid foundation here at Piney Chapel with math.”

Around 50 schools across Alabama took part in the challenge – which required students to take pictures of math they see daily in the world around them.

“Piney Chapel had over 200 posts,” The Office of Mathematics Improvement Region 1 Coordinator Paula Pounders said. “I’m going to tell you…the next closest was a regional amount of maybe 143 total.”

Piney Chapel’s Math Coach Brooke Holland says this award wouldn’t be possible without help from the students’ parents.

“Our children went home with their families, and they were able to find math all around them,” Holland told News 19. “Whether it was cooking or driving on the road…they all had an entry point and were able to participate.”

Holland also hopes this award will inspire students to take ownership of their own learning.

“I hope students know that they can do absolutely anything they put their minds to,” she said. “They can be state champions in anything! They are on their way to being successful mathematicians.”

Nothing has been set in stone, but The Office of Mathematics Improvement is hoping to host a Summer Math Challenge.

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