SEWELL, NJ— The bustle of a crowded classroom may have been missing, but it didn't stop the excitement from flowing at Wedgwood Elementary School’s 7th Annual 24® Game Championship Tournament, held—for the first time ever—completely online!
Wedgwood Elementary School fifth-grader, Luke Ridgeway (center), at home with his Champion's Certificate, is surrounded by other tournament finalists. Ridgeway also received a 24® Game Champion t-shirt and a LEGO® trophy built by his Teacher, Domenick Renzi.
Fifth-grader Luke Ridgeway was crowned Champion in an exciting one-card overtime matchup against fellow fifth-grader Melanie Liguori, who received gold and silver medals respectively. The event, held on June 2, was a culmination of weeks of practice.
Students signed up to attend online practice sessions organized by Wedgwood Math Teacher Domenick Renzi, a 2017 Washington Township Public School District Teacher of the Year, 2018 Gloucester County Teacher of the Year and 2018 NJ State Teacher of the Year finalist.
According to Renzi, everything took place online using WebEX. "These dedicated fourth- and fifth-grade mathematicians spent three weeks practicing with 24® Game Single and Double Digits cards to prepare for the tournament. I am proud to say many had the opportunity to play against former Wedgwood 24 Game Champs who took time out to join our practice sessions."
Mentor-champions included current Washington Township High School ninth-grader, Michael Valentino, Chestnut Ridge Middle School (CRMS) seventh-grader, Nicky Watson, and CRMS sixth- grader, Vincent Valentino.
During the online event, each student played twice and the scores were combined, with the top four scorers—Zach Clark, Melanie Liguori, Andrew Robinson and Ridgeway—advancing to the championship match. All finalists received certificates and MVP Lanyards.
Creator of the 24 Game, Robert Sun, is impressed. "Kudos to these great 'Mustang Math' teammates for helping to keep the tradition of 24 Game competitions ongoing at their school—even through a pandemic!" Equally impressive, says Sun, is the fact that as of this writing, WES has 59 First In Math® Grand Champions, meaning each of these students has successfully solved more than 30,000 math problems in the program.
In the past, Renzi has organized 24 Game and First In Math competitions for students inside the school environment, and says whether in school or online, it is always a community effort. "Many thanks to our student mentors, Principal Charles Zimmerman, and especially the Washington Township Education Foundation for providing us with a small grant to purchase the 24 Game cards."