Students Recognized for Years of Math Excellence

Tinley Park IL

07 March, 2022

9:57 AM

Description

On February 24, District 146 honored three students with the Virginia Koepel Math Award, recognizing their years of participation in the District 146 Math Challenge. Megan Duncan, Rayane Harir, and Gavin Hemminger were presented with the award, which is given annually to students who participate in the District 146 Math Challenge for the past eight years. Hemminger has also advanced to the South Cook Math Bowl every year. The Virginia Koepel Math Award is named for a former District 146 teacher who died shortly after her 2010 retirement. While at the District, Koepel orchestrated the first District 146 Math Challenge. "Mrs. Koepel was an inspiration not only to students, but to teachers as well," says Lisa Pusatera, Accelerated Math Teacher at Memorial School. "Her love for learning has continued on in so many ways, and we are so blessed that she was such an integral part of Memorial School and District 146." To qualify for the Math Challenge, students take preliminary math tests at their home school. Each elementary school sends the top four students and one alternate from each grade level (first through fifth) to the Math Challenge. At the Middle School, 16 students were chosen with two alternates per grade level. The Math Challenge consists of three events, two are individual and one is a team event. The top 2 students in each grade level earn a spot to represent District 146 at the South Cook Regional Math Bowl. Virginia Koepel's son, Louis, helped present the three students with the Koepel Award at the February 24 ceremony. Community Consolidated School District 146 is comprised of Central Middle School, Fierke Education Center, Fulton School, Kruse Education Center, and Memorial School. Students from Tinley Park, Orland Park, and Oak Forest attend District 146 schools.