Delaware Students Show Off Number-Crunching Skills

Delaware Students Show Off Number-Crunching Skills

Solving Puzzles at Warp Speed in Bell Atlantic Math Competition

April 29, 1997

NEWARK, Del. -- Some of Delaware's brightest students put on an

awesome display of lightning-fast mental math today in the 24

Challenge Math Program competition sponsored by Bell Atlantic.

About 140 public and private school students demonstrated their

problem-solving skills at the University of Delaware's Clayton Hall.

Four numbers-crunchers walked away with top honors and impressive

trophies, but all competitors proved they are prepared for challenges

they'll face in the classroom and the workplace of the 21st century.

To advance to the finals, the fourth through eighth-grade students had

to win classroom and school contests. Some 40,000 students

throughout Delaware participated in the 24 Game playoffs.

"Bell Atlantic is a strong proponent of finding new and better ways to

develop an educated and skilled workforce," said Gilbert H. Smith,

Jr., vice president, external affairs for Bell Atlantic-Delaware.

"This math competition develops strong reasoning skills and mental

agility in young people. The children who participate in the 24

Challenge relish the competition and the opportunity to demonstrate

their skills, and it's an excellent opportunity to enrich their

educational experience."

Winners in the two-hour Delaware final competition were:

Fourth and fifth grades: William Buckley, 11, fifth grade, Richardson

Park Elementary school, Red Clay School District.

Sixth grade: Kelly Royer, 12, Bayard Elementary School, Christina

School District.

Seventh and eighth grades: Nick Meyer, 13, eighth grade, Gunning

Bedford Middle School, Colonial School District.

In the 24 Challenge competition, students study a card with four

numbers. They may add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers to

come up with a total of 24. All four numbers must be used, and each

number may be used only once. The answer is always 24.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new

communications, entertainment and information industry. In the

mid-Atlantic region, the company's telephone company subsidiaries are

the premier providers of local telecommunications and advanced

services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the

high-growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also

owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and

is actively developing high-growth national and international business

opportunities in all phases of the industry.

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