Beaumont high school hosts a successful Math Day!

A key part of an education assistant’s role is to be a collaborative member of the school’s educational team and effectively communicate with staff to promote student success. At École Secondaire Beaumont Composite High School, Education Assistant Friday Egbuonu is working to inspire a love of math in students through a fun and interactive initiative.

“The idea for a Math Day sprung from my observation of students and their negative attitude and perceived fear of math,” said Education Assistant Friday Egbuonu. “Previously, I had the opportunity to organize a Science Day at John Maland High School in Devon last year. It was a huge success and the students were very excited about the event, so I thought I would try to replicate that success here.”

When Friday presented the idea to John Tschritter, the Math department head, he was immediately on board. They worked with the school’s Math Club and other members of the department to plan the event. “We also went to businesses in the community and asked for donations and sponsorships for the prizes,” said Egbuonu.

On May 21, 2024, ÉSBCHS had it’s first-ever Math Day. The day turned out to be a huge success, with great participation by both student and staff from across the school. “We hosted a math fair, where students presented projects they had researched and worked hard to prepare,” said Egbuonu. “Afterwards, there was a math competition with both staff and student teams. The English department’s team, the Pythagorean Poets, came out on top, beating all other teams with their math skills.”

Egbuonu felt that the turnout for the fair was very encouraging. The students were eager to ask questions and participate in the setup and activities. They all did a wonderful job in their presentations, and prizes were handed out to everyone, including to those who answered questions from the audience.

“We congratulated the Systems of Equations team for winning,” he said. “The quality of their presentation, and their ability to navigate the questions posed to them was applaudable.”

“Overall, the day offered the chance for people to connect, learn together and to have fun with math,” he added. “And that is worth celebrating.”