First Annual National Mathnasium Math Triathlon Day for 3rd-6th Graders to Take Place in 2011

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Nov 04, 2010, 01:33 ET

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading math education franchise Mathnasium Learning Centers will hold its first annual National Math Triathlon Day (www.MathTriathlon.com) in May 2011 at participating centers across the country, it was announced today by Mathnasium President David Ullendorff.

Registration for National Math Triathlon Day is open to all students in third through sixth grade enrolled in public, private, or home school. Participants will compete in three challenging events at their closest Mathnasium center. The nation's three highest scoring contestants in each grade (12 winners) will be recognized at a ceremony in the Los Angeles area in July 2011, to coincide with Mathnasium Learning Centers' annual convention. Proceeds received will be used for participant prizes and donations to local schools.

"Mathnasium's National Math Triathlon Day is an ideal opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of mathematics students in these grade levels," says Mr. Ullendorff. "Each Math Triathlon challenge tests a different facet of students' analytical and computational abilities. We hope this event will generate excitement about math education among students and in schools."

"Mathnasium is welcoming sponsorship partners for National Math Triathlon Day who are interested in aligning themselves with the importance of mathematics, science and technology education through participation in this program," says Angela Turner, whose Launch Lady Marketing Group is handling sponsorship opportunities. "The Triathlon serves as an ideal platform for corporations seeking local and national outreach within local communities through student prizing and math resources endowments."

"The ultimate goal of Mathnasium is to make kids more 'mathematically powerful'—to give them a strong math foundation so regardless of what program they're doing in school, they're able to handle it because they can do the underlying mathematics," says Mathnasium Chief Instructional Officer Larry Martinek. "In terms of worldwide mathematic scores, American students currently rank in the bottom 15%. This needs to improve for our country to retain its competitive edge as the global economy becomes increasingly geared towards technological advancement. We developed the Triathlon events not only to test students' mathematical capabilities, but to show them that their hard work in the math classroom does not, and will not, go unrewarded."

National Math Triathlon Day builds upon the success of loyal mathematics triathlons hosted by Mathnasium franchisees over the past several years. The three Triathlon challenges are Magic Squares, The Counting Game, and Mental Math Workout. In the Magic Squares event, students are awarded points for creativity in developing their own math problems. The Counting Game tests a student's ability to count from any number, to any number, by any number. Mental Math Workout tests a student's number sense by asking them to solve given problems the "smart" way without pencil and paper. Questions become progressively more difficult for students in higher grade levels.

About Mathnasium: Mathnasium Learning Centers specialize in teaching kids math the way that makes sense to them. Students go to Mathnasium year-round to catch up, keep up, and get ahead in math. The results are a significant increase in math skills, a better understanding of math concepts, and better school performance. The proprietary Mathnasium Method™ is the result of 35 years of hands-on instruction and research. Franchising since 2003, Mathnasium has become one of the fastest growing educational franchises, with a new center opening each week. There are more than 225 Mathnasium franchises in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. www.mathnasium.com

SOURCE Mathnasium