The halls of Lawrence T. Gay Memorial School buzzed with analytical energy this week as students and faculty ended their annual Math Week under the theme, “Mathematics and Hope.”
The week-long celebration culminated in a massive showcase on Friday, featuring a blend of cutting-edge robotics, professional career talks, and traditional logic games, all designed to show students that mathematics is not just a classroom subject, but a vital tool for daily life.
A major highlight of the festivities was the live demonstration of the school’s expanding Coding and Robotics program. Under the guidance of Reena Boyce and her team, students from Reception to Class 4 displayed their digital literacy skills by competing in class challenges to “break the code” and programme specific paths for robots to navigate.
Boyce noted a “dramatic improvement” in student performance over the past 24 weeks: “They are always asking me questions; they always want to know how mathematics is involved in coding and robotics and we always link the two so that they will understand.” The programme focuses on building foundational skills such as coordinates, number recognition, and identification of colours.
In the infants department, the abstract concept of currency was brought to life through a Farmers Market simulation. Foster, an infant school teacher, organized a shop where students used cut-outs of Barbadian money to purchase snacks.
“One of our concepts would be money, and I find it that it’s a concept that the children tend to struggle with,” she explained. “I just wanted to make it a fun experience for them… I just created this content with ‘I Love Math’ on it and I got the parents to participate and all of us ended up wearing them.”
The school also welcomed guest speakers to bridge the gap between schoolwork and the professional world. Mrs Green, the maths and science coordinator, noted that they hosted an actuarial analyst and a software engineer, as well as personnel from the Barbados Community College who “displayed animation—how to actually use the shapes to create their favourite characters.”
Musical guests, including a violinist, showcased the mathematical patterns found in rhythm and melody. To honor historical roots, Senior Teacher Ms Howard introduced students to Warri, an ancient African strategy game.
“We thought it crucial to teach the children about Warri… games of logic, a game of skill and strategy,” she said, explaining that the game helps children “count the amount of houses to make sure you’re able to capture and protect the seeds at the same time.”
The finale included several spirited competitions, ranging from a Rubik’s Cube speed challenge to a display of projects built from 3D geometric shapes. Students also participated in a “guess the number of marbles in a container” contest, where one student was “the closest to the mark—she was out by one”.
The entire event was underscored by an original math anthem composed by faculty members Mrs Canterbury-Hinds and Mr Cadogan. Mrs Green concluded by emphasizing that the ultimate goal was “to show children how these characters, these professions, would have used math in the everyday”.
(RR)
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