by Ruchel Cortes-Taumatorgo
In compliance with the DepEd Memorandum No. 190, s. 2012, the young mathematicians of the city gathered for the 2013 Metrobank/MTAP/Deped Math Challenge Eliminations (Elementary Level) on January 17, 2013.They were in two different centers- Amancio Aguilar Elementary School (AAES) for North District contestants and Jose Zurbito Sr. Elementary School (JZSES) for South District and private schools contestants. Three (3) pupils per grade level represented each school, both public and private. The contestants were accompanied by their coaches and parents. Before the eliminations started, a briefing for the teacher-examiners was done by the chief examiners, Ruchel C. Taumatorgo and Liza Marie A. Abelita in AAES and JZSES, respectively, to ensure that the contest would run smoothly.
The test questionnaires for the Elimination Rounds from the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP) main officewere opened simultaneously in front of the examiners by the Education Program Supervisors, Purita A. Altarejos, Noel D. Logronio, Jemnah A. Macabe and Jeanette M. Romblon, who also acted as the supervising examiners.
The contest lasted for 70 minutes for grades 1 and 2, 80 minutes for grades 3 and 4, and 90 minutes for grades 5 and 6. Checking of papers was done in the division office by the same teachers who conducted the exam. The answer keys were opened just before checking to be certain that there would be no leakage.
After checking, schools were ranked according to the total score of the three contestants. JZSES dominated the elimination round for ranking first in grades 1, 4, 5 and 6. AAES ranked first in grade 2 and Sacro Costato School in grade 3. The top 16 schools will compete in the division finals on February 7, 2013. The grade 6 winner in the division finals will be representing the division in the regional finals in March and will represent the rest of Luzon in April for the national finals, if they win and qualify.