Pasadena, CA - A team of eighth-grade students from Sierra Madre School won first place overall in the L.A. County Math Field Day competition held last weekend. The team was one of several representing the Pasadena Unified School District Team (PUSD) in the annual event, which drew students from 23 districts throughout Los Angeles County. Sierra Madre’s team won a gold medal in the annual regional contest, which tests students’ mathematical skills and knowledge.

“I want to congratulate the winning team, and their teachers and families for their hard work,” said Superintendent Edwin Diaz. “This is a wonderful accomplishment that reflects the quality and strength of PUSD’s math program.”

PUSD schools represented in the Math Field Day competition included McKinley in the fourth grade level, Sierra Madre School in the fifth, seventh and eighth grade level, and Marshall in the sixth grade level. The eighth grade team was coached by Dan Martinez.

In the L.A. County Math Field Day competition, students pit their problem solving, conceptual understanding, and computational and procedural skills against other student teams. More than 300 students in grades 4-8 participated.

A celebration of mathematics followed the competition, with a Math festival, exploration of hand-held technology and mathematics, and mathematical music written and performed by a mathematics teacher.