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.
May
5th Grade Teacher, Clara Barton Elementary School Cherry Hill Public Schools, Cherry Hill, NJ
2022
April
4th Grade Teacher, Salisbury Elementary School Salisbury Township School District, Allentown, PA
2022
March
Principal, Eastport Elementary School Eastport-South Manor Central School District, NY
2022
February
5th Grade Teacher, Parliament Place Elementary School North Babylon School District, North Babylon, NY
2022
January
5th Grade Teacher, Donegan Elementary School Bethlehem Area School District, Bethlehem, PA
2022
December
Principal, Marvine Elementary School Bethlehem Area School District, Bethlehem, PA
2021
October
Point Pleasant ES Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Glen Burnie, MD
2021
September
2nd Grade Teacher, Mawbey Street School #1 Woodbridge Township SD, Woodbridge, NJ
2021
June
Baltimore County Public Schools, MD
2021
May
Assistant Principal, Bruce-Monroe ES DC Public Schools, Washington, DC
2021
April
5th grade teacher, Marvine Elementary Bethlehem Area School District, PA
2021
March
3rd grade math & science teacher, Fox Elementary Klein Independent School District, TX
2021
An annual award given to educators who exemplify Lola's spirit.
2026
Jeff Markham, a 5th-grade teacher at Clearview ES in the Bethlehem Area School District, is the 2026 recipient of the Dr. Lola J. May Award. A longtime First In Math user, Markham also received the award in 2025 and 2023. “I have really enjoyed playing First In Math this year. It was quite a competition among the educators, and there were times when I wasn’t sure I would win. The student competition was amazing as well and fun to watch. Over the years, my students and I have had a lot of fun playing and working together to strengthen our math skills. First In Math is a great program that is engaging and fun for my students. Good luck next year to all the students and educators playing 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.
