First In Math: Sixth Grader, Places 7th Nationally, Class Ranks 3rd in State

Sixth grader, Luke Wang ranked 7th nationally, out of 1.2 million other students, in the First in Math on-line program. Luke is finishing up his first year at Rogers Park Middle School, and this is the first year this program was offered.

 “Luke is an exceptional student,” said his math teacher, Drew Hall. “He is well rounded, and not only does he excel in math, but he is also very talented in English.”

 Danbury students in general have had an excellent year in math. Students in Drew Hall's 6th grade class placed third in the state out of close to 600 classrooms. According to Barbara Asteak of Suntex International, who awarded Wang with a trophy, Danbury's students in grades 1-8 cumulatively solved 7 million math problems on their website this year. Wang was clocked at having put in 300 hours on the program in order to achieve his scores.

 The problems offered on the First In Math program extends from basic facts to fractions, decimals, percents, integers, geometry, metric, time and logic problems. The students took to the program and many participated in the program recreationally at home.

 The students earned electronic award stickers for solving math problems that increased in difficulty.

“Luke is a solid A+ student in math. We had to come up with things for him to do in math to keep him engaged. A lot of times, the work on the First in Math replaced pencil and paper homework,” said Hall.

Wang enjoys math, but prefers writing adventure stories. “I like to write stories where something has been learned. I write stories in my spare time, and I journal, too,” said Wang.

 Having won several awards in his short career as a student, Wang said this award was special to him because he had never placed nationally before.

 As Wang walked through the cafeteria, cheers went up at several tables, and students chanted, “Luke Wang! Luke Wang! Luke Wang!” Whether that was for this accomplishment or other activities is unknown. However, Wang said it best when he said, “I feel like I have accomplished a lot this year. I just want to enjoy life.”