Calculated hat-trick: Charles F Broomes School wins Primary Mental Maths Competition Finals

It was a glorious moment for the Charles F Broomes School fraternity, as their team continued on its dominating winning streak, to complete a historic hat-trick win on Wednesday afternoon at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, in the annual Primary Mental Maths Competition Finals (PMMC), which is conducted by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training.

This yearly contest, which started in 2017, is an initiative organized by the Ministry in order to develop numbering concepts, calculations, and practical uses in computations for students to implement in their daily lives. From inception, the Charles F Broomes School team has been the consistent sole title holders of the event, with team coach and Class 4 teacher, Stephan Walker, owing the team’s success to their dedication, comradery, and confidence toward solving problems.

“The team’s success this year, as in previous years, can be attributed towards their dedication and discipline when it comes to their training. The team this year would have been watching our teams from previous years and from there showed keen interest in taking part in the contest when they finally reached Class 4. After seeing their willingness to take part in the competition this year, I was very confident that we would have once again achieved excellence and walk away with the title once again,” Walker stated.

Though the hours and weeks of drills to ready themselves for the title defense this year certainly paid off, Walker quickly added that the practice of students applying practical skills to real life situations, was by and far the most important exercise pupils at the school had learned.

“Even with in the classroom, I refrain from only teaching students their tables and fractions; I strive to encourage them to think outside the box, and use mathematics in practical ways they can see in everyday life. I always see the need to make these classes very practical in nature. At present, we have a “bank” in the classroom where students have an opportunity to role play with functions they will have to use later in life. Such as the importance of customer service, how to save money and handle funds in a professional way. Students must know how numbers will affect their way of life, and not only just to answer equations given to them on paper,” Walker added.

Principal of the school, Dr. Monica Walton, was visibly proud of her team’s accomplishments and owed their success to the school’s mentality of always striving for success.

“When the competition first started in 2017, we were very enthusiastic in entering because numeracy and literacy are our strong points. Our children are always keen to compete, however we never enter these events unless we are fully prepared. So whenever we choose to submit our teams for contests, it’s with the support of the teacher, parents, and of course the students that we aim for our success. I am proud of the team this year in their efforts, and I am very confident we will continue to see great things from these students as they go forward in their studies,” Dr. Walton revealed.

The winning team comprised the following students of; Touraj Simmons, Amyah Willett, Jovani Lovell, Alainna Davis and Thomas Armstrong, with Jovani Lovell also capturing the Speed Round Champion title.