Dubuque School's Second Annual
Mighty Math Marathon

Video and Story by Gary Olsen Camera by Justin Foust

This year's event sponsored by Kendall-Hunt Publishing

he photo at right aptly captures the spirit of the games as Math Quiz-Bowl participants, upon hearing they got the key question right to put them in the medal round, high five and whoop it up demonstrating a spirit and enthusiasm usually reserved for sporting events. And this is what made this year's (the second annual, now) Mighty Math Marathon incrementally better than last year's. As one returning student reminisced, "Last year we didn't know what to expect, but this year we did. We are a lot more into school spirit."



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This year also marks the retirement of one of the key founders of this event, TAG coordinator for the district, Dorothy Gibbs, who made this year's Mighty Math Marathon in a wheel chair. Despite her past year's serious knee surgeries, she seems just as enthused as last year. Math and Science Curriculum Administrator, Shirley Horstman, says, "Dorothy's creativity and organization will be missed."

The Might Math Marathon tries to identify those students in our district that have problem solving abilities. They are often identified by teachers who in turn put them with "math mentors." One of those mentors is Paul Puls, retired math teacher who now mentors promising math students. His team this year, Table Mound, won the team trophy.

"The Mighty Math Marathon gives our students who are very capable in math a sense of accomplishment much like that which is part of sports," explains Ed Zaccaro, the event's quizmaster. Ed, a former school board member, tutors in math and has written textbooks on his craft. "An exciting dimension this year was the applied math exhibits," explained Ed. "Students could work on a project involving research which applies math principals to everything from puzzle design to bridge building." The gym at host school Emmaus Bible College, contained the exhibits giving the event a "math trade show" feel.

Watch the video we produced of the event (about 12 minutes), and pay particular attention to the kids faces. There are a couple of great interview responses not to be missed, so listen carefully.
Gary Olsen interviews Math Mentor, Paul Puls, whose Table Mound team won this year's team trophy. Interviews with students are often funny but also profoundly revealing.

 
Shirley Horstman is the Math and Science Curriculum Administrator for the District and a principal organizer of the Mighty Math Marathon.

You can download enlargements of these images to save and print on your own system.

Click here for the photo album of award winners photographed at the event:
One of the competitions requires teams of students to collaborate to solve a mystery delivered by a video drama. The mystery is laced with math problems. Imagine Harry Potter's math class.
Ed Zaccaro performed quizmaster duties. He's an author, math teacher, and former school board president. The Table Mound team won the Team Trophy. When asked, "When did you realize you were good in math?" One student said, "When I won this trophy."
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