logo
Math Counts: Windham Middle School revives club

Math Counts: Windham Middle School revives club

Yahoo20-05-2025

WINDHAM — A teacher at Windham Middle School has revived the school's Math Club in an attempt to make math a subject in which students can have fun while also learning life-long skills.
Zita Bodonyi, supervisor of the Math Club and a math teacher at WMS, decided to revive the club when students came back to school after the COVID pandemic.
The idea to create a place where students could play with math sprouted in her mind when everything was still shut down. She started thinking about what children this age are doing and was looking for a certain direction that would benefit them.
In the past, the school had a Math Club, which was then supervised by Katherine Siegelstein, the school's special education coordinator. She told Bodonyi about Math Counts, a nonprofit organization that offers extracurricular math programs for students from grades 6 to 8 throughout the United States.
'It's an awesome program; they have a mission statement and they provide all the materials,' she said. 'The local chapters can do however they choose, they can do it collaboratively, they can make practice times, and so on.'
The Math Club has now been running for three years and all students are welcomed to join the club, which Bodonyi considers as an enrichment activity. Although the level of problems solved tends to increase at the end of the year, it is open to students with any level in math, whether it is their strong suit or not.
Before being a math teacher, Bodonyi was a language teacher at WMS. What led her to become a math teacher was the many students that needed help in this subject. While most of them would get excellent grades in English, many would struggle with math, and she would help them as much as she could.
'I started studying math and I was able to get my certification as a math teacher, and at first, I was just using it as a support to support my students,' she said. 'Unfortunately, there are many openings usually every year in the building, and one year they asked me to step in as a math teacher.'
Her first love is with languages and she never thought she would become a math teacher. However, when she started learning math, she realized it was just another language to learn.
'I do want to promote that mentality of 'you don't have to be afraid of it.' You can make it work,' Bodonyi said. 'You can understand because the more you understand math, the more you understand the logic of life.'
Math Club takes place once a week, after school time, for two hours. During the club, her students do exercises that are relevant to the middle school curriculum but go further.
'For example, in seventh grade, they study triangles, and they do the sides, they do the angles and so on. But in the club, we did the proportions of the triangles. So that was extra fun,' she said.
One of her favorite parts is when she sees students' thoughts going in all sorts of directions to solve a problem. She also loves to see the students discover a new formula or find out that things work the way it was planned.
'That's where they realize that they can go into directions that they never thought about before,' she said.
About six to eight students are enrolled in the club, and some come to every meeting, some not.
Since she brought the club back, the team has been participating in the Math Counts Eastern chapters competition, taking place at the University of Connecticut. The competition is supported by the Department of Mathematics and is run by volunteers. Bodonyi believes this is a very good experience for the students. The first year, they did not have a full team, but now they do.
For the past two years, individual competitors have qualified to go to the state competition, something she hopes will continue. Although most of her team is graduating and moving to high school, a group of teachers is working on bringing in new students.
'We talked about networking; we talked about bringing other people in,' she said. 'Other teachers have mentioned students who actually started showing interest and networking among the kids.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

SDPB promoting free educational resources for parents, educators, caregivers
SDPB promoting free educational resources for parents, educators, caregivers

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

SDPB promoting free educational resources for parents, educators, caregivers

Jun. 10—MITCHELL — As home to longtime programming content like Sesame Street, South Dakota Public Broadcasting and its fellow public broadcasting outlets in other states are known for educational programming, along with other cultural, information and news offerings. But there is more than just that available at SDPB. That was the message staffers and supporters of South Dakota Public Broadcasting were sharing Friday evening in Mitchell. They had set up a booth near the Corn Palace to talk with the public about programming the organization has available, particularly when it comes to early childhood development and educational resources. "One of our core mission objectives is ensuring that every child in South Dakota enters kindergarten ready for school and ready for life and is supported and informed by engaged parents and professional educators and caregivers," Julie Overgaard, executive director for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, told the Mitchell Republic. "Our job isn't to take the place of any of that caregiving. It's to provide useful, high-quality, set-to-state standards educational resources that are free for anybody to use." Overgaard was referring to a slew of online educational and professional development materials available for anyone to use for free online through the SDPB website. Those resources include PBS Kids videos, interactive games, early learning resources such as activities, lessons and articles along with outreach and professional development information. It's all available at and Overgaard and her fellow SDPB officials are hoping South Dakotans take advantage. The programming is geared for year-round learning but the free, online nature makes it available for use at any time or any season. SDPB is focusing its outreach on teachers, parents and other professionals such as daycare providers. The offerings found their footing in the late 2010s, particularly in the leadup to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then that interest in the educational programs took off when young children were suddenly home from school due to worries about the virus. Combined with general funding issues associated with education, the SDPB programs grew into a valued repository of learning tools. "(The pandemic) just had an outsized impact on our efforts in this area that none of us saw coming. Since then, we've been really successful and our major donors and other people around the state are really feeling that this is an important topic area that maybe doesn't get the funding and attention it deserves," Overgaard said. The materials provide a great source of educational activities, but there are also resources related to professional development. Overgaard said SDPB holds professional development workshops at daycare centers, Head Starts and school-associated preschools on how they can use the free materials to support their curriculums. The programming is designed to meet South Dakota early learning guidelines, she said. Other outreach takes place at public libraries to encourage student interest in reading, as well working in the summer with teachers to help them with continuing education or professional development credits. "We go to a lot of education conferences and meet the teachers where they're at and just keep trying to get the world out about what we have to offer them," Overgaard said. She said that over 100,000 children a month access the available online programs. When added to other programming offered by SDPB, that comes in closer to 750,000 children a month. The resources have been especially utilized by homeschooling families, who Overgaard said are always on the lookout for supportive materials. A recent stop at a homeschooling conference was well-attended and well-received, she said. Kara Brodsky, brand and marketing manager for SDPB, was at the organization's booth on Friday in Mitchell, speaking with members of the public next to a large cutout of Sesame Street star Elmo. Conversations ranged from topic to topic, but getting the word out about the educational materials was paramount. "(It's for) parents, for sure, but also teachers," Brodsky said. "We're here to support parents and teachers with the resources they might need. We fill in the blanks a little bit with some of the things that we can help with. So teachers, caregivers, anybody who is reaching those preschoolers, that early childhood development, is really important." Conveying the value of the resources that SDPB has available is important right now, Overgaard said. There has been concern about potential funding cuts to public broadcasting at the federal level, and Overgaard and other SDPB officials have been lobbying South Dakota leaders such as Rep. Dusty Johnson, Sen. Mike Rounds and Sen. John Thune about the importance of that funding to various programs. The cuts target perceived bias at the national level, such as National Public Radio and programming like PBS NewsHour, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, Overgaard said. But such cuts could hurt more localized programming, as well. "I'm very, very concerned about it. Federal funding flows through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has been targeted for elimination in a rescission of prior authorized funding. The talk is that it's all about biased programming at the national level," Overgaard said. "What most people don't understand is that the money that's being rescinded or threatened for elimination — the vast, vast majority of those dollars are funneled to local public broadcasting stations across the country like SDPB. So the cut will have an outsized impact on rural networks and rural stations if it goes through." As officials with SDPB monitor the funding situation, they are also celebrating more accessibility to their product in the Mitchell area. The organization recently launched a new full-power radio station, 89.1 FM, near Mitchell. The tower has been in the works for nearly a decade, with Overgaard saying that another full-power radio station in the area overpowered the old low-powered SDPB transmitter and "blew us off the air." Listeners should be able to pull in the new transmission easily, she said. "Now we have a good quality signal into Mitchell that extends all the way down south of Parkston, covering a much larger geography. We've really solidified our coverage in that area," Overgaard said. The new signal is a boost for SDPB, Overgaard said, but the free educational materials are available anywhere, anytime for anyone who has access to an internet connection. In times when funding for education can be limited, any and all quality resources become valuable for parents and professionals alike who want to support their kids the best they can. The invitation to use those materials is always open, she said. "The state and the legislature have had difficulty coming to agreement and funding for early childhood education initiatives. So as with other things in the state, you sometimes have to figure out the best way to do it yourselves," Overgaard said. More information on the educational resources available through SDPB can be found at

With schools out, childhood hunger increases
With schools out, childhood hunger increases

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

With schools out, childhood hunger increases

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – With students starting to get out of school for the summer, hunger will start to rise. Food banks across the area start to see an increase in families needing help when the school year ends. Some children rely on the school breakfast and lunch, and over the summer they may miss a meal. The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia says it starts working in January to fill the gap they start to see in the warmer months. The Foodbank says one in four children in the area will be hungry during the summer months. Adding it has seen a 30% increase since COVID and longer lines as new families show up each time. 'When you see a reduction in those federal benefits, the gap still needs to be filled by somebody. And our neighbors are going to look at us. As you know, the, you know, preeminent organization in the area of tackling food insecurity. So we're definitely hearing and seeing an increase in people that have never had to come to the foodbank before are now showing up for the first time ever,' said Jeremy Rodden, Community Engagement Manager. Hunger Heroes aims to help feed families during the busy summer months The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia has programs throughout the summer, like Hunger Heroes, that is created to combat summer hunger. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Shocking anti-ICE riots in LA remind me of two violent mobs I lived through
Shocking anti-ICE riots in LA remind me of two violent mobs I lived through

New York Post

time6 hours ago

  • New York Post

Shocking anti-ICE riots in LA remind me of two violent mobs I lived through

A new view on old terrors I'm a single person. Scared. This is my country. My entire life. My ancestors came from the old world. Russia. My mother was born in Liverpool. Inheritance? Nothing. Immigrants, they came with nothing. No relatives here — nobody. Grandma, who spoke no English, scrubbed stoops on the Lower East Side. Grandpa, a tailor who made no money, kept just enough to apply for legitimate citizenship. To pay for their taxes, mortgage, children, doctors, schooling, food, old age, transportation, future — no help from the government. Forget stories about immigrants arriving with hidden jewels sewn into their skirts. There were no gems. No hems. Hard-knock life When I was in public school, long ago but so painful that even now I remember it clearly — even though at this moment I can't remember where I left my phone — back then I was given a used secondhand dress. Pale blue. Silky fabric. Garnished with fluffy fake fur. Excited, I paraded in it around our house. Enter tragedy. A stain. From where, how I got it, who knows. Nothing but a scissor would've removed it. I was crazy. Inconsolable. 'No problem,' said my mother. 'I'll wash it.' WASH? Accented with fake fur? The fake-o crapola immediately turned stiff — like cardboard — and peeled off. My mother worked two jobs to be able to feed me, dress me, take me to doctors, buy medicines because I was always ill. But this was my only party dress. I was inconsolable. That's 90 years ago. I still remember it. By the time I could buy my own clothes I was a working reporter in Asia. The recent unrest and turmoil in Los Angeles has reprised two terrors I survived. One in Jakarta, another in Tehran. Jakarta. An ungovernable mob flooded the roads. Barricaded the streets. Angry about some official edict. Came with guns, flames, knives, flags, signs, the usual. We were locked in traffic. Terrified. Me a foreigner. Alone except the driver, who knew to call someone as our car was rocked side to side, bottles thrown at our windows — and people came to save us. Thrilling escape Another time. Iran. A guest of the Shah, I was up country in Isfahan, a hotel owned by his then-Majesty's twin sister Princess Ashraf. I was in their official black car. Their official driver. En route back to Tehran. It was the first days, the exact moment, the move had begun to oust the Shah. A small village through which we drove saw their movie theater set on fire. If not protected by the Shah, who knows what might've happened. His people caught us en route, escorted us with guns to the hotel, watched as I packed up and then threw me at 5 a.m. onto a plane out of Iran and home. That story — and its saga of embassy personnel sheltered by my late friend Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor — I mightn't be here today. He, too, spirited me out and onto a waiting Pan Am jet. The story was immortalized in Ben Affleck's 2012 Oscar-winning movie 'Argo.' It's terrifying. They looking to turn us into Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Russia — the cauldrons from which they fled?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store