PHILADELPHIA, PA–Seventh-grader Ao Kong outperformed nearly 250,000 of her peers across the nation to claim the title of #1 Player in the First In Math® Online Program for the 2007-2008 school year! First In Math creator Robert Sun presented Kong with a "First In Math National All-Star" award, and the Grand Prize, an Apple iTouch®.
Photo, left to right: First In Math creator Robert Sun; Kong shows off her Apple iTouch® and National All Star award; School-Based Teacher Leader Eleanor Castelberry and Principal Carol Domb.
Kong and her parents were invited to a special luncheon at the award-winning Fountain Restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, along with Sun, Suntex VP Barbara Asteak, FIM School District of Philadelphia liason Cred Dobson, McCall Elementary School-Based Teacher Leader Eleanor Castelberry and Principal Carol Domb.
According to Castleberry and Domb, Ao is a great student in all subject areas, not just math. Ao's father says that his daughter was very determined, and spent hours on the computer every night. When asked if winning the Apple iTouch® was the motivation for her incredible achievement Ao answered, "No. I just wanted to be #1." She says she planned her strategy at the beginning of the school year, and never waivered.
Kong, who attends General George A. McCall Elementary in the School District of Philadelphia's Central City Region, led the field for several months, amassing 33,511 stickers as of the April 30 First In Math "Top Ten" competition deadline. Kong bested her nearest competitor, from Sandhill School in Wisconsin, by 2,683 stickers. Students from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin and California make up the remaining Top Ten, and all will receive a FIM National All Star Award. Kong also achieved National All-Star status last year, finishing among the Top Ten players in the nation as a sixth-grader. (read story)
"During our conversation, Ao and I discovered some pretty amazing similarities," explains Sun. "I moved to Philadelphia from Shanghai, China when I was nine, as did Ao. Both her parents are physicians, as were mine. I love chocolate, and my favorite color is blue," says Sun. "Me too," says Kong, momentarily flashing her trademark reserved smile.