Canada is on top of the world — of primary mathematics.
Port Coquitlam's Hope Lutheran Christian became the first school from Canada to win a noted major international competition that puts elementary students through a series of skill-testing games that combines arithmetic with physical activity.
Chris Anderson's Grade Two class ultimately won the 2022 Mathematics World Cup in the seven- to 11-year-old division with a combined score of 975 points.
The teacher told the Tri-City News he was thrilled for his students when he heard of the big victory on Tuesday (Dec. 13).
The young mathletes participated in the event put on by Numberfit, an England-based organization with a goal of exercising children's brains and love for school, while also promoting healthy lifestyles.
According to its website, numberfit aims to create a fun, inclusive and positive environment for children to learn through its free-entry world cup competition.
Hope Lutheran beat out a total of 383 schools and more than 100,000 students that participated from nearly two dozen countries.
This included other Canadian institutions, as well as those from the United States, Great Britain, Northern Ireland Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Middle Eastern nation of Oman.
How it works
Anderson's 2B class, who went by the nickname "Team Bunny," won the world cup trophy by 10 points ahead of the fourth class "Rainbow BigMacs" of Scoil Bhríde Cannistown N.S. in Ireland.
They were also the only Canadian team in the top 10.
Participants are given a 45-minute video that includes two physically active math games.
They're included with pre-recorded classes so current students feel as if they're competing live against others, numberfit explained, and kids must copy the presenter's actions while standing behind their desks.
There's also written tests and worksheets included in the competition, complete with time tables, fractions and basic arithmetic.
Numberfit then uses a specified scoring system to determine the number of points a class receives from their final work.
