Peabody Charter School students holding their trophy and wearing medals and big smiles after taking firs place overall at Math Superbowl.(Courtesy photo)
Peabody Charter was highest scoring school with 758 points at Math Superbowl. (Courtesy photo)


The brightest young math minds on the South Coast squared off at the 40th annual Math Super Bowl competition May 28 at the Page Youth Center.

Nearly 375 students in fourth through sixth grades from 34 public and private schools throughout southern Santa Barbara County competed through three rigorous written tests.

They then tackled a hands-on team challenge: engineering the tallest free-standing tower using three sheets of paper, one paper clip, and a yard of masking tape.

Awards are earned individually and by grade level, with a top award given to the highest-scoring school overall.

This year, that distinction went to Peabody Charter School, which scored 758 points. Second and third place in the School Overall category went to Washington Elementary School (742 points), and Montecito Union School (695 points), respectively.

First-place individual scorers (with several earning tied, perfect scores) were:

Fourth grade: John Selgarth, Peabody Charter School; Aaron Beckman, The Knox School of Santa Barbara; Seamus Cottrell, Washington Elementary School
Fifth grade: Hunter Jackson, Laguna Blanca; Keane Johnson, Peabody Charter School
Sixth grade: Isaac Cumes, Canalino Elementary School; Miles Yan, Foothill Family School

First-place winners by grade-level teams were:
Fourth grade: Washington Elementary
Fifth grade: Laguna Blanca
Sixth grade: Washington Elementary

For a full list of top scorers in all categories, click here.

As the team celebrated around her, Cati Gil, a longtime Peabody Charter School teacher and math team coach, said, “All the kids just work so hard and are so collegial with one another. We see the support from the parents, the coaches, and the volunteers. This [win] really shows the emphasis we put on math at our school.”

Peabody Charter School fifth-grader Keane Johnson delivered a standout performance Wednesday, earning a perfect score on the individual test and helping his school win the overall team competition.

“We have a really great team this year, and we all just pulled together today,” he said.

Johnson said he enjoyed meeting students from other schools. “We all just think math is fun because you get to challenge your brain.”

“This is a really special event for the kids,” said Jeff Linder, a math specialist at Montecito Union School and a coordinator of the event. “They get to shine and be recognized for their mathematics and problem-solving abilities.

“We’d like to give a huge shoutout to all of the coaches, volunteers and parents who have come out in support. A special thanks also to the Page Youth Center for hosting us this year. It was a fantastic event all around.”

“I am inspired to watch so many young mathematicians embrace the wonder, the struggle, and the beauty of mathematics. Solving interesting problems with teammates is one of the great joys of childhood, and we are grateful to all the volunteers who make it possible,” said Ellen Barger, associate superintendent/curriculum and instruction at the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

The South Coast-based Math Super Bowl is sponsored by Cold Spring School, Montecito Union School, Peabody Charter School, and the Santa Barbara County Education Office.

A North County-based Math Super Bowl took place in March.