Join us in celebrating the people who make First in Math special.
An annual award given to the #1 Player First in Math player across all grades!
Seventh-grader Vladamir Flys became a national math superstar, earning the #1 spot in the First In Math® Online Program across all grades. Surpassing over 105,000 students in 25 states, he was awarded a gold medal in front of TV news cameras. Inspired by a news article about a past winner, Flys committed to playing for up to seven hours a night for a month to claim the top spot. Born in Ukraine, he lived in Argentina for ten years before moving to the U.S. Fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish, he excels not only in math but across subjects as an ESL student at Baldi Middle School in Philadelphia.
Players
Alexa Curto (PA) Renajd Rrapi (PA) Andre Fowler (PA) Gina Robinson (PA) Karissa Liberatore (PA) Stacy Candelario (PA) Jennings Luu (PA) Daniel Candelario (PA) Shonak Patel (PA)
Team Leaders
Schools
Top Educator Players
2005
A monthly award given to an educator who has been actively talking about math achievement on social media channels.
September
Grade 4 Teacher, Towne Meadow Elementary School Carmel Clay School District, Carmel, IN
2018
An annual award given to educators who exemplify Lola's spirit.
2025
A teacher at Clearview ES in the Bethlehem Area SD, Jeff Markham is the 2025 recipient of the Dr. Lola J. May Award. "I have always loved teaching math and First in Math is a great supplement to the curriculum. As I teach skills, students can work on that skill in class and at home with instant feedback. I wasn’t planning on playing this year, but two girls in my class started playing even before the first day of school. Their excitement motivated me to go for 10X Grand Champion status, which I achieved. You know that the program you are using is effective when both the students and the teacher motivate each other. I am very happy that my district uses First in Math"
Silver Medal
Bronze Medal
Dr. Lola J. May (1923-2007) was a noted mathematics educator, consultant, author and producer of audio-visual materials. A pioneer in mathematics education and an early proponent of the new math educational process, May was beloved by her students, and became a household name among mathematics educators.
