Indiana Township fourth grader motivated by math
A fourth grader at Hartwood Elementary School District channeled her inner “mathlete” to earn a near-perfect score in a nationwide math competition.
Charlene “Cici” Xu recently scored in the top 1% of all 26,524 students who competed in the online national Sumdog math competition in September.
Cici, 9, answered 978 of 1,000 math questions correctly.
“I feel proud. I always try and improve. I’ve done a lot of these,” she said. “I was really surprised to score that well nationally.”
Fourth-grade teacher Leah Rea noted Cici has been a top finisher in the Sumdog competitions the past two years.
“Cici is a busy girl, and she spends a lot of time practicing. It’s very special, and I’m super proud. She worked really hard to get this,” Rea said.
Rea’s class finished in the top 10% overall in the competition, which is held three times a year.
Sumdog online math contests are free and offer adaptive learning and multi-player games aligned to key state standards for grades K-8.
For Cici, math is a daily enjoyment and her favorite subject.
“My parents say, ‘Why don’t you go to bed right now?’ ” Cici said about her habit of staying up late to practice math problems on a mobile device.
She’s the daughter of Michelle Yang and Wesley Xu of Indiana Township.
An only child, Cici has a pet cat named Mickey. Cici said if Mickey could talk, he would say, “Congratulations, my sister” on her math accomplishment.
An accelerated math student, Cici is studying fifth-grade level math.
She credits a math board game, 24, that she often plays with her grandparents, for honing her math skills.
Prime numbers are especially enjoyable, Cici said.
In third grade, Cici earned the nickname “Divisibility Queen” because she was quick to memorize everything, Rea said.
“I think knowing math will help me when I grow older because I’m thinking of being a teacher when I grow up,” Cici said.
When she’s not in math mode, Cici enjoys playing with friends, drawing and playing chess.
Cici has advice for individuals who might be a bit math-challenged.
“You can take your time, be a hard worker and have persistence to get better at math,” she said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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