KINGWOOD, TX—Woodland Hills Elementary student, Rayne Jones, was the number one student in Texas, all grades, in the First in Math program last year. Jones earned 27,640 stickers during the 2014-2015 school year.
LEFT: Proud parents Rachel and Shayne Jones, with their daughter, Rayne. RIGHT: Rayne Jones receives an award from Texas First In Math representative Tony Morrow, and her teacher Samantha Morgenroth.
A student in Samantha Morgenroth’s class, the fourth-grader was voted ‘best problem-solver’. “Failure is not an answer for her,” Morgenroth told The Kingwood Observer in June. “Rayne has a passion and to reach for the stars and beyond. I definitely see a bright future for her. She is driven to finish long-term challenges.”
“Last year, I earned 9,000 stickers and I wanted to make this year’s state championship,” says Jones. She explains that when other people stopped playing, she didn’t, completing seventh- and eighth-grade content on her own. “I got a Silver Star on Skill Set 7. I was all giggly and couldn’t stop smiling.”
“The First in Math program has given elementary students higher achievement in math all across the school district,” according to Melissa Christensen, Humble Independent School District Elementary Math Coordinator. “Activities are presented in an online game format that students enjoy, and the emphasis is in mathematic skills that are designed to also strengthen problem-solving, reasoning and communication skills.”
“Congratulations to Rachel for being a great example for the district’s students,” says Tony Morrow, First In Math Texas representative. “Collectively, Humble ISD students earned nearly TEN MILLION stickers during the 2014-15 school year. I am very happy to see how much FIM is helping to involve students in math. I will be working hard this year to make sure that other Texas districts know this wonderful program is available to them.”