From left, Jack Allen, Alicia Bakis, and Chris Bunnell get help from Market Math volunteer Shannon Kelley at Roche Brothers on Nov. 10. (Courtesy photo)
Market Math has had its eighth successful year due to the energy and generosity of so many. The program gives fourth- and fifth-graders the opportunity to connect math problems (such as estimating, unit pricing, graphing and measuring) with items in the grocery store, thus answering that age-old elementary school question, “Will I ever really use math?”
I would like to thank the Harvard Schools Trust and Roche Bros. for continuing to sponsor and to recognize the value of this exciting event, as they have from the beginning. Thanks to Belinda Friedrich, not only for running the program last year, but for leaving the perfect road map for this year’s event, which took place last week, and to Rika Stevenson for getting this year’s program off to a great start.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to all the volunteers, the parents and Bromfield students, without whom this program could not happen. The atmosphere during the store’s busiest time of day is a little hectic, yet the volunteers maintain their calm with the situation while helping students keep theirs with some very challenging math problems.
I saw a lot of smiling faces last week as understanding of various concepts suddenly clicked for many students. Thank you to all the many people who helped Market Math come together, thus generating so many contented smiles.
Ames Hardymon Schnier, Market Math coordinator
Old Boston Turnpike
