Math teacher Maria Dela Cruz at Newtown HS in Elmhurst, Queens, loved math contests as a child and hosted similar contests at her school for about a decade until COVID-19 struck. So she was ready this fall when her principal presented her with the opportunity to host a national math competition for Newtown’s students.

“Students sometimes need a venue or activity where they can show other students ‘I like doing this because it interests me,’” said Dela Cruz, who has been teaching math for 34 years, 22 at Newtown. “And seeing other students’ interest in a subject motivates them.”

Dela Cruz and her fellow math teachers thought it would be a challenge to find students who would commit to the time needed to participate in a math contest and practice each week. To their delight, students were eager to take part. Part of the contest’s appeal? It is online, played on big smartboards set up in the school library. The Newtown students can see students on opposing teams from other states in real time.

Math teacher Suzan Dinc said the contest is a great blend of modern technology and old-fashioned pencil and paper. “It’s kind of like how our classrooms have become,” she said. “We’re still working out math problems with pencil and paper while using all these digital resources as well.”

The school pays the registration fee to take part in Perennial Math’s Virtual Math Tournament. Students from all grades compete, and those on winning teams each get a medal, with certificates given to students who place second and third.

The competition is a win for the math teachers as well. It tells them where students are strong and what skills could use more practice. “It’s helpful for us in planning our lessons and curriculum,” said Dinc.

The weekly practice for the math contest also serves as preparation for the SATs and the Regents. “Even the SAT is virtual now,” said math teacher Kiana Batista. “It’s getting them used to doing math and submitting it on a computer.”

After school on a Tuesday in late spring, the students met to get ready for the last math contest of the school year. They worked in groups to solve a series of problems placed on a whiteboard. The students encouraged one another, applauding when a correct answer was put on the board.

Speed as well as accuracy is important in the competition. One 12th-grader solved a problem quickly to great praise.

“Twenty seconds!” Dela Cruz said before encouraging the other students to see if they could solve the problem even faster. “Can anybody do it in less than 20 seconds? Try the same thing, just faster.”

The students’ hard work paid off. The 9th-, 10th- and 11th-grade teams at Newtown won first place in the final competition, while the 12th-graders took second place.

“We’re so proud of them,” Dela Cruz said. “When I see excitement in my students’ eyes, that ignites something in me.”