The honor, this year bestowed upon 75 Long Island students, indicates that the recipient is among the top one-tenth of one percent in math of all students on Long Island within a grade level.
"I was so excited when I found out that I was accepted into the Institute,’ said Ogechukwu. "I was curious about what I was going to be doing."
The Institute, founded and directed by Dr. Jong Pil Lee, distinguished service professor at SUNY Old Westbury, aims to stretch participants’ mathematical intuition and expand their knowledge on mathematical ideas, allowing students to experience the thrill of discovery through creative problem-solving. Many of its graduates have gone on to win national and international math, science and engineering contests. Ogechukwu and the other scholars are spending 60 hours in class during 20 Saturday mornings and 60 hours outside the class on related projects. Topics covered in the curriculum include algebra, geometry and number theory, as well as various topics in science.
"So far I like the program because it challenges me in many ways," said Ogechukwu. "It makes me look at problems differently because everyone has a different way of teaching them — some teach hands on, some by logic and clues, and others teach visually," she said.
According to her accelerated math teacher Cathy Caldwell, Ogechukwu is on her way to mastering the seventh- and eighth-grade level mathematics curriculum, which will enable her to begin ninth-grade mathematics when she enters Dodd Middle School as a seventh-grader next year.
"Oge is an extraordinary math student with a conscientious work ethic," Caldwell said. "She is admired by other students for her persistence in solving problems and for her kindness in helping others."
A daughter of Nigerian-born parents, Ogechukwu hopes to one day become either a veterinarian or a lawyer. She is the oldest of three children. Her sister, Ginika, and her brother, Chuka, both attend New Visions School. They are in second and fourth grades, respectively.
Freeport Public Schools is a diverse, innovative district on Long Island’s South Shore serving about 6,750 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The district and its eight schools take pride in having the region’s only magnet schools of choice, a longstanding and award-winning classroom English/Spanish Dual Language Program, and a high school where students excel in competitions that include the regional Academic Challenge, Odyssey of the Mind and Future Problem Solving International. The district’s New Visions School of Exploration and Discovery has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for its high student performance and engaging curriculum. |
