Glen Cove Deasy students win third at Albany competition

About 150 elementary students from across the state journeyed to the University at Albany to show off their math skills. These mathletes spent their day working in teams of three, crunching numbers as fast as they could to solve sets of complex problems, all without their calculators. While competing in the six-hour event, the students were required to explain their mathematical process step-by-step. Among the scholars were three-second graders from the Glen Cove City School District’s Deasy Elementary School, Dru Wilson, Tommy Scagliola and Jacob Palazzo, who won third place in the statewide First in Math competition on May 20. 

Before their six-hour car ride to Albany, these students competed in three online tournaments against other students across the state. The initial Statewide Elementary Mathematics Tournament was held online on March 30 for first- through fifth-grade students. The tournament helped finalize who would advance to compete in Albany and challenged students to solve complex math problems and puzzles appropriate for their grade levels, and allowed students to practice and improve their math skills in a fun and engaging way.

The tournament was divided into nine regions, one of which included Nassau, Putnam, Westchester and Rockland counties.  The results were computed the same day, and triads of students per region with the highest average scores, who attend the same school, were selected to advance in the next round in Albany. There, they played an in-person board game in which students were given a randomized set of numbers that must equal 10 through addition and subtraction. 

After the winners of the online tournament were announced, the Glen Cove district received $1,000 from the state Department of Education to celebrate the second graders’ accomplishments as the finalists for their region. From there, the three boys practiced for the competition at the beginning of each school day using randomized sets of 24, 30 and 36 cards to sequence numbers using addition and subtraction to equal 10. They were timed for 15 minutes per round to match the competition parameters in Albany. 

Family, friends and school representatives weren’t allowed to join the young mathematicians as they competed in Albany. Instead, they waited in a separate room to watch the competition while it was live streamed. 

Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, Glen Cove councilwoman, said she knows her son Tommy and his teammates have a “mathematical mind,” and although the boys were nervous, they were very excited to compete. The results were announced 45 minutes after the third and final round of the competition. 

“Everyone was kind of quiet and under the needle to hear what happened,” Scagliola said. “But they made is this far; they were already winners. They worked hard, they were ready for it and they beat a lot of kids in a lot of teams.”

School principal Melanie Arfman said the contest demonstrated the student’s ability to work together, and the Deasy students were among the teams that collaborated the most during the competition. 

“It’s a really complex puzzle that they had to put together,” Arfman said. “My math brain doesn’t quite work like theirs, so I’m grateful to have them as part of our Deasy community.”

District Superintendent Maria Rianna said she was in awe of their collaborative and competitive spirits. She believes the students have the potential to be future engineers and mathematicians 

“They were better than any adults I’ve seen working together,” Rianna said. “As you saw the high fives after they checked their answers, and they double checked. They fist punched the air, they knew they had it.”