Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Pupils solve the maths challenge
Intelligent youngsters plus impressive problem- solving skills equalled a day of calculated success at a Coatbridge secondary school.
St Andrew’s High hosted its yearly maths challenge for P7, where teams of four from eight of the school’s cluster primaries – Corpus Christi, Our Lady and St Joseph’s, St Bernard’s, St Mary’s, St Patrick’s, St Stephen’s, St Timothy’s and St Monica’s – locked horns in a closely contested battle with multiple challenges.
In round one participants joined forces to build a tower of 50 straws, with an extra point available if it could hold a golf ball.
The pupils then turned into budding Poirots and Jessica Fletchers for a whodunnit mystery in round two.
Round three involved each of the teams visiting six stations with various practical and theoretical challenges.
The final, deciding round saw the youngsters pick up the pace for a relay race with teams split into pairs on opposite sides of the room to work together to race through 30 questions – each more difficult than the last.
Pupils then faced a tense wait as staff added up the sums and announced the final results.
Coming out on top were overall winners St Mary’s Primary, who finished with an outstanding 480 points.
Our Lady and St Joseph’s came a very close second with 470 points and St Patrick’s 434-point haul saw them take third place.
St Andrew’s High head teacher Michael McKenna had the honour of presenting trophies to the delighted St Mary’s and Our Lady and St Joseph’s kids.
Maths teacher Kenneth Drummond said: “The P7 maths challenge is always a much anticipated staple on the school’s annual transition calendar and I am grateful to all of the primaries for their participation, and to our S3 maths geniuses who assisted on the day.”