News and Events

Nearly 60 elementary mathletes from across the district competed in the Dare County Schools 4th Annual 24 Game Math Competition on Wednesday, February 25, at First Flight Elementary School.

The district-wide tournament brought together talented fourth and fifth-grade math students from Dare County’s five elementary schools. Throughout the school year, students have been practicing and playing the math card game, 24 Game, in their classrooms to strengthen their computational fluency, number sense, and critical thinking skills. During the competition, students were given 15 seconds to combine the four numbers on a game card to equal a total of 24 using the order of operations.

School representative teams were selected from the overall classroom winners. After two rounds of play, the top 16 players advanced to the semifinals. The highest scorers then moved on to the fourth and final round.

This year’s four finalists were:

• Donovan Haigh (5th grade, Nags Head Elementary School)
• Stanley Kee (5th grade, Cape Hatteras Elementary School)
• Maylynn Muuse (5th grade, Kitty Hawk Elementary School)
• Hampton Tyson (5th grade, Kitty Hawk Elementary School)

After a competitive final round, Maylynn Muuse of Kitty Hawk Elementary claimed the championship title. Kitty Hawk Elementary School’s 24 Math Team also earned first place with the highest combined team score.

“The 24 Game competition showcased not only our students’ mathematical talent, but also their perseverance, focus, and love of learning,” said Caitlin Spruill, Dare County Schools Assistant Superintendent. “Being there and watching students think critically under pressure, and celebrate one another’s success, was truly inspiring. By strengthening number sense and computational fluency in a fun yet rigorous format, we are being purposeful, specific, and targeted in how we build foundational math skills. We are incredibly proud of our mathletes and the dedicated educators who helped our students prepare for this event. This event reflects both the strength of instruction in our elementary schools and the collaborative spirit across Dare County Schools.”

Dare County Schools would like to thank First Flight Elementary School for hosting this annual event, along with MTSS/Math & Science Coordinator Dawn Tillett for organizing the competition, the students from First Flight Middle School for refereeing the game tables, as well as the dedicated elementary school coaches for their guidance and support:

• Helen Corbett (Manteo Elementary coach and AIG Facilitator)
• Tami Harsh (Cape Hatteras Elementary coach and AIG Facilitator
• Kathy Heinrich (Nags Head Elementary coach and AIG Facilitator)
• Melissa Kirkendall (Kitty Hawk Elementary coach and AIG Facilitator)
• Corinne West (First Flight Elementary coach and AIG Facilitator)