‘Super Bowl of Math’ draws crowd at Fort Mill Elementary

An MVP in a No. 1 Carolina Panthers jersey walks into Fort Mill Elementary School. Followed by several more just like him. All with the stickers to prove it – “Math Volunteer Partner.”

The school held its second annual Super Bowl Math Day with Dads. First-graders rotated through a series of big game-inspired math drills, with the help of adult partners.

“It’s all math-based,” said first-grade teacher Melissa Purcell. “We have everything from adding and subtracting to place value, to graphing data.”

Mike Bowen and son Hayden, 6, rotated through stations with Jeff Spurgeon and son Ben, 7. In matching Panthers jerseys, the Bowens did minute math working on solving equations quickly. Other games involved rolling giant dice or sorting number cutouts. Games were often played in true dad fashion.

“We modified the rules a little bit,” Mike Bowen said, “but we made it work.”

It wasn’t just dads. Rodney Thurman helped his nephew Cole Rogers. Invites went out to grandfathers or even neighbors. And, it wasn’t just men. Several moms came dressed in gridiron attire, most of it black and blue.

“As long as you can have someone to come in and support you and have fun doing it, come on,” Purcell said.

Teachers say moms often are the first to sign up for activities throughout the year. Mother’s Day comes during the school year, while Father’s Day comes around during the summer when students are gone. Thus, teachers looked for something geared toward the male role models students may have.

“We always have things for moms, so we wanted something for the dads,” said teacher Brooke Eckenroth. “The Super Bowl kind of lends itself to that.”

The event also empowers students. By working with games and activities they do daily, they get to explain math concepts to the adults.

“The students are kind of the facilitators today, so they are guiding the dads and the grandfathers and uncles and moms, too, with different games and just having real fun with math,” said teacher Mia Heard.

Two years ago, school attendance lines were redrawn and many students who went or would have gone to Springfield Elementary School were slotted for Fort Mill. The two schools began working together during the transition, and Springfield had the Super Bowl event. Fort Mill began its event last year.

Every parking space was full Friday afternoon, just as it was during the same event last year. While there weren’t a ton more adult volunteers Friday, they did have a different look to them based on the success this year for the Panthers. A large majority wore Panthers shirts or jerseys.

“It’s something that’s been a hit both years, so we’ll definitely continue it,” Heard said.

Mixing football and math is a pretty easy sell for teachers, with the game largely based on simple numbers — three points for a field goal, six for a touchdown, four downs to gain 10 yards. The Super Bowl event combines something students would be interested enough to talk about at the lunch table, with work that will help improve their academic skills.

“We always look for what they’re interested in because if they have interest in it, then they’re more engaged,” Heard said. “It’s just really a way to tap into their interest. They’re already excited about football, excited about the Super Bowl.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 7:11 PM with the headline "‘Super Bowl of Math’ draws crowd at Fort Mill Elementary."