Sonoma County teens organize math tournament to help middle schoolers catch up after pandemic

When Barry Liu read a newspaper article about the pandemic’s effect on middle school math scores, the Windsor 15-year-old had an idea.

Having competed in math tournaments as a kid, Liu, a freshman at The Brandson School in Marin County, called up some of his friends from his previous middle school math class at The Healdsburg School and asked if they would be willing to help create a math league for Sonoma County middle schoolers.

The friends, all driven 15-year-old freshmen who relish math ― Cecilia Brenner, a student at Brandson; Meher Dhiman, a Healdsburg High student; and Lisa Zheng, who attends Maria Carillo High ― said yes.

Then, they reached out to The Healdsburg School Principal Andy Davies and their middle school math teacher, Carrie Smith, and asked if they thought it was a good idea and if they could use some space in the school on Sundays.

“We, of course, immediately said yes,” Davies said. “For us this was a really authentic example for our mission as a school, and we were absolutely impressed.”

“It's just heartwarming, actually, as an educator,” Davies said. “There's a lot of bad news in education, and this was a really good thing.”

From that, Liu formed Math4Everyone, a math league led by the four students. Every Sunday, they tutor middle schoolers in classes using games and practice problems. They also assign weekly homework and hold office hours to provide extra support.

All of it leads up to one big tournament, which they held on Sunday at The Healdsburg School.

The four were motivated to help, knowing firsthand how hard it was to really grasp new math concepts during the shift to virtual learning during pandemic lockdowns.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the average eighth grade mathematics score in 2022 decreased eight points compared to 2019, the largest drop in a decade. In California, math scores dropped three points in a year.

It’s easy to get lost when there’s no one there in front of you to help, and it’s hard to reach out for help, especially for students with social anxiety, Liu said. He also found it hard to engage students during one-on-one tutoring.

“We can understand that, but then you can also show them that, once you understand it, it's a lot more fun,” said Dhiman, one of the student tutors. ”And especially when you can bring that competitive aspect, you start to enjoy math a lot more. It's literally problem solving.“

Liu decided to create a team-based format for learning, but in a traditional classroom with more activities that help keep students engaged, and with a competition to look forward to at the end.

“I really liked it ― I feel like I learned a lot,” said Nolan Brenner, 11, a sixth grade student at The Healdsburg School who’s older sister is one of the teachers.

Brenner said he loves to play sports, so playing with and against others made it more fun, especially because the student tutors were helpful and supportive.

Rithika Kangath, 10, said her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to join, even though she’s only in fifth grade.

“I really enjoyed it, and I got to be with other students to learn what they do so I could improve what I do,” she said, adding that she’s feeling prepared for her next year at The Healdsburg School and hopes to join the league again.

Her mom, Rajasree Pai, said she’d been looking for a math league, which is more common in the South Bay, because her daughter has a passion for the subject. When she heard of Liu’s league, she signed Kangath up and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was almost completely organized by high school freshmen.

“Big kudos to the students,” Pai said. “They did an amazing job. As a parent it’s very motivating to see the kids doing so much.”

Through competitions and challenges, “I think that the teachers also made learning fun,” Kangath said. "That just shows their time and dedication.“

The four leaders made their own curriculum based on California’s common core, said Smith, who taught the four teens math in middle school. As their adviser, she reviews the lessons and provides feedback before each Sunday session.

“It makes me proud to see that they're sharing their love of math with others and inspiring younger kids to be involved with math and to see the value in it,” Smith said.

Nolan and Cecilia Brenner’s mom, Caroline Brenner, said she was really impressed by the quality of the homework packets and lessons. She was also surprised by the amount of time the high school students gave up to help others.

Once children get behind in a subject, they often think it’s something they're not good at and then they don't excel anymore, Brenner said. “I appreciated that the kids focused on reteaching certain math concepts and getting them caught up to their grade level.

“I thought it was really nice way for them to get back to the community and help the kids,” she said.

This year they tutored 15 students across four different schools, but they’re hoping to expand, Liu said. He also hopes to turn Math4Everyone into a nonprofit and continue to recruit more students.

“It just makes me really proud to see that they found a problem that exists in the world today in terms of students coming out of COVID and the drop in the math skills, and they're creating a solution for it,” Smith said. “I know it's a small scale, but it's still a solution for these kids, and it's still making an impact. I really hope to see more students get involved next year.”

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8531 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.