JCCS Students Flex Math Muscles at Mathletics Competition

Students from Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) recently showcased their math skills, participating in a global, online math competition to earn certificates and prizes.

The idea behind the Mathletics competition is to make math exciting through friendly competition that includes a series of 60-second mental math races.

Students from multiple community schools, Monarch School, and the Youth Transition Campus participated.

"The students truly enjoyed the experience and were very excited to participate,” said Dr. Fausto E. Baltazar, education specialist at Lindsay Community School. “One of the highlights for them was discovering that the competition extends beyond California and includes students from around the world. This really motivated them and made the experience feel even more special,” he said.

Dr. Baltazar’s class at Lindsay won the award for participation while a student from Jade Wang’s class at 37ECB won for the highest individual ranking.

The competition builds student identity and excitement around math, supporting JCCS’s goal of improving student outcomes through transformational experiences.

For Jackson and Keith, students at 37ECB, the competition helped reinforce why math is so important.  

"Math is useful in all aspects of life,” Jackson said. Keith added, “Math is important because it helps build critical thinking skills and problem solving."

All participants received a certificate of recognition and the two winning classrooms also got pizza parties.

"Creating a joyful math classroom transforms challenges into opportunities, helping students not only understand but thrive and build confidence," Wang said.