OREFIELD, PA—After an exciting competition involving more than 4,500 schools, St. Joseph the Worker School can finally declare that they are ‘FIRST’ In Math. During the 2009/2010 school year, St. Joseph’s six teams maintained an average of more than 131,000 stickers each, earning their school the title of #1 First In Math® School in the Nation, All Grades.
According to Technology Coordinator Monica Patel, students began their journey toward domination early in the fall of 2009, after losing the top spot by a narrow margin in the final hours of the previous year’s competition. “This is a very committed group of students, willing to put in the extra time—both at home and after school in the lab—that it took to make this kind of success possible,” says Patel.
Top photo, left to right: Principal Jody Myers; The Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of Allentown; Monsignor Wargo and Robert Sun. Below: Students from each team had their picture taken with Bishop Barres, Sun and other Guests of Honor.
In recognition of St. Joseph’s success, the school sponsored a National Champions Celebration on June 1. Monsignor Wargo warmly welcomed everyone prior to the festivities and offered the opening prayer. An exciting slide show, created by Father Kevin Gualano, set the mood: photographs of students flashing by on three large screens set to classic movie tunes such as ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and the theme from ‘Star Wars,’ created a touching portrait of the school’s dedication and spirit.
Special Guest of Honor, The Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of Allentown, helped pass out awards and congratulate students. First In Math® Online Program creator Robert Sun also attended the celebration. Other Guests of Honor included Assistant Superintendent Sister Anita Patrick Gallagher, IHM, Assistant Superintendent Sister Roberta Peters, IHM and Assistant Superintendent Sister Ann Monica Bubser, IHM.
Principal Jody Myers accepted a commemorative plaque naming St. Joseph the Worker School as the #1 FIM School in the nation. For the second year in a row, SJW had a top player who received a gold medal and a coveted First In Math® All Star Award for placing 4th among the Top Ten players in the nation, all grades. All six Team Leaders received a special Proclamation and 216 participating students received a letter of congratulation from Sun, as well as Player of the Year badges. Sun also presented Patel, who spearheaded the school’s effort, with the First In Math® Spirit In Education Award.
To the delight of giggling students, Bishop Barres briefly modeled a 24® Game baseball hat given to him by Sun for his ‘hat collection.’ The Bishop also spoke to students about the importance of setting and reaching goals. After the celebration, guests enjoyed a special cake featuring the First In Math® Online Program logo.