Champions
of Math

Join us in celebrating the people who make First in Math special.

Hall of Fame

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An annual award given to the #1 Player First in Math player across all grades!

Vladamir Flys

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.

Honorable Mentions

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

Spirit in Education

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A monthly award given to an educator who has been actively talking about math achievement on social media channels.

February

Amy Kravetz

- @amy_kravetz

5th grade teacher, Clearview Elementary Bethlehem Area School District, PA

2021

January

Isiah Guinyard

- @mistergee21

Elementary Math Program Coordinator Klein ISD, Klein, TX

2021

January

Jennifer Kling

- @Mrs_Kling_Tech

Elementary STEM | Apple Teacher | LEGO Master Educator | Microsoft Innovative Educator Souderton School District, PA

2021

December

Rachel DeCarlo

- @rachel_decarlo

4th grade LTS teacher, Maple Glen Elementary Upper Dublin School District, PA

2020

November

Melissa Walsh

- @PalmerPanthers1

Interventionist, Palmer Elementary School Easton Area School District, PA

2020

October

Sonia Batista

- @Ms_Batista5

Grade 3 Math Teacher, Oak Tree Road School Woodbridge Township School District, NJ

2020

September

Samantha Brown

- @MrsBrown

Grade 2 Math Teacher, Freetown ES Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD

2020

June

Shannon Ziemer

- @MDCityMath

Title 1 Math Teacher, Maryland City Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD

2020

May

Kathy Benton

- @KathyBenton72

Grade 3, Glendale Elementary School Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD

2020

April

Katie Gould

- @Gouldkm21

Math & Science Specialist, Mueller Elementary School Klein Independent School District, Spring, TX

2020

March

Jennifer Gleason

- @cmespds

Grade 3 Teacher, Crofton Meadows Elementary School Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Crofton, MD

2020

February

Allison Joy Russell

- @joy2teachem

2nd Grade Teacher, Honey Creek Elementary School Rockdale County Public Schools, Conyers, GA

2020

Dr. Lola J. May Award

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An annual award given to educators who exemplify Lola's spirit.

2025

Jeff Markham

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

Mary Higgins St. Laurence School, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, PA

Bronze Medal

Ashlene Quinn Wrightstown ES, Council Rock SD, PA

About Dr. May

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.