Ridgefield students participate in Math is Cool competition

RIDGEFIELD — Fifth- and sixth-grade students at Sunset Ridge Intermediate School spent much time preparing for the local and statewide Math is Cool competitions. The fifth-grade team took first place, and the sixth-grade team second place at the Clark County competition in February. The top four students qualified for the state competition, held last month, and were tested in mental math, relays, team tests and more. State results haven’t yet been published. Kelly O’Boyle, coach for the sixth-grade team, said they had 24 students on the original team and 30 on the fifth-grade team. “It says something about Ridgefield schools, how many kids want to be a part of our program. That’s what I love about it,” O’Boyle said in a news release. “We don’t say that they have to be in accelerated math. They join because they like math; they like to compete.”