LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The annual Elementary Mathematics Challenge Competition, co-sponsored by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), brought together 241 fourth and fifth-grade students from 18 elementary schools across Southern Maryland on April 3, 2025. Held virtually from school sites, the event featured 35 teams competing in individual and team challenges, showcasing their mathematical skills and teamwork.
The competition, designed to foster a love for math among young students, included two main components. In the individual challenge, each participant tackled a multiple-choice test. The team challenge required students to collaborate on four complex, multi-step math problems. Final school team scores were calculated by averaging the top five individual test scores from each school and combining them with the team challenge score.
Benjamin Banneker Elementary School took first place among fourth-grade teams, followed by Piney Point Elementary School in second and Mechanicsville Elementary School in third. Chesapeake Public Charter School and Evergreen Elementary School rounded out the top five. For fifth-grade teams, Evergreen Elementary School claimed the top spot, with Leonardtown Elementary School in second and Chesapeake Public Charter School in third. C.W.F. Duke Elementary School, Dynard Elementary School, and Oakville Elementary School tied for fourth and fifth.
Individual honors went to Theobald Obenski of Chesapeake Public Charter School, who led the fourth-grade category, followed by Elijah Thurber of Evergreen Elementary School and Athena Gore of Oakville Elementary School. In the fifth-grade individual rankings, Vincent Cusmano of Dynard Elementary School earned first, with Ethan Corbin of Chesapeake Public Charter School in second and Manuel D’Antonio of Evergreen Elementary School in third.
The event highlighted the dedication of Southern Maryland’s young mathletes, who prepared extensively to compete. SMECO, a long-time co-sponsor, supports the competition to encourage STEM education and critical thinking skills. The cooperative, serving over 150,000 customers in the region, partners with local schools to promote academic excellence and community engagement.
Participating schools represented a diverse cross-section of St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles counties, with students demonstrating problem-solving and collaboration under pressure. The virtual format, adopted in recent years, allowed schools to participate safely while maintaining the competition’s rigor. Organizers praised the students’ enthusiasm and the teachers’ commitment to preparing their teams.
The Elementary Mathematics Challenge, a tradition for over a decade, continues to inspire young students to pursue math with confidence. Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding efforts and achievements.
