Sixth-grade student accepted into National math program

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Sarah Chavez-Olaya, a sixth grade student from Woodland Middle School in the East Meadow School District, was accepted into the Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students.

Selection by the institute implies that a student is among the top 0.1 percent of all students in their grade, in mathematics, on Long Island.

As one of the most competitive programs in the nation, each nominated student is expected to spend 60 hours on in-class and related outside projects. The curriculum covers mathematical topics such as algebra, geometry and number theory. It also includes others not included in the standard courses of study, such as problem solving applied to probability, theory of finite differences and mass point geometry. Sarah completed the program’s rigorous entrance exam while she was a fifth-grade Quest student at Barnum Woods Elementary School.

—Brian Stieglitz