The challenge may sound simple but the math can be hard.

Students are presented with four numbers between one and nine. They then have to use those four numbers – and addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – to get a final answer of 24.

A district-level competition was held in early May.

The top 20 students in that competition were then taken to the regional level Challenge 24 tournament in Edinboro last week. The competition is broken down by grade level – fourth and fifth graders, as well as seventh and eighth graders, compete in those grade bands while sixth graders compete on their own.

Sixth grade students participating in the Challenge 24 competition included Ellise Wilson (Beaty), Ashton Carrington (Beaty), Greyson Webber (Eisenhower), RJ Frederick (Eisenhower) and Trent Miles (Beaty).

“Providing the students with this opportunity is about more than doing math,” Pam Brown, who teaches elementary STEM at Youngsville, said. “They are part of a team from their school/district, but also they are competing individually.

“Learning how to navigate the nuances of that can be tricky. I was happy to see kids being humble winners and gracious losers.”

Meggi Brown, STEM instructor at Beaty, said the competition “sharpens students’ mental math, number sense, critical thinking, problem-solving and pattern sensing.”

All of the students at the regional competition competed in rounds one and two, scores that were used to determine the top 12 that would participate in the semi-finals.

“In the semi-final round, students have to solve 10 variable cards, which consists of finding one variable that solves both sides of the cards to make 24 on both sides,” Meggi Brown explained.

Eight Warren County School District fourth and fifth graders participated in the Challenge 24 regional competition including, front, Tristan Lord (Sheffield), Hailey Northup (Youngsville), Kaylee Gray (Beaty), Elsie Woldt (Beaty) and, back, Carson Lord (Sheffield), Liliana Sandagata (Beaty), Aiden Zawacki (Beaty) and Ian Lewis (Youngsville).

The final then includes double variable cards, where students have to find one variable that will solve a total of four equations.

In the fourth and fifth grade competition, WCSD students that made that round included Ian Lewis, Hailey Northup, Kaylee Gray, Elsie Woldt and Tristan Lord.

The top three then go to the finals.

Kaylee Gray from Beaty was the only WCSD student that made the finals in that grade group.

“At first, I was nervous but as I started solving the problems I started getting more confident,” Gray said. “When I realized I got first place I was really excited and felt a ton of emotions.”

At the sixth grade level, four students made the semi-finals – Greyson Webber, RJ Frederick, Trent Miles and Ashton Carrington, who made it through the finals and finished second overall.

“Training and working hard, it truly does pay off,” Carrington said. “Not just in Challenge 24, but all throughout your life.”

For seventh and eighth grades, semi-final participants from the WCSD included Matthew Mobley, Peyton Vincent, Gabe Dougherty and Bryce Grolemund.

Dougherty went on to the finals and finished in a tie for second.

He said the competition is “more difficult the older you get. This year showed it was more difficult compared to last year where I won first place.”

Some of the students that participated are already looking to next year.

“Prepare for defeat but expect greatness,” Matthew Mobley said. “I have done good, not good enough, but next year is a different story.”

“Going to the Challenge 24 competition in Edinboro was a better experience than last year because of making it to the top 12,” Ian Lewis added. “I hope I make it to that point again next year.”

“I was very excited for all of my students to compete at the regional level, and was very proud of the students who made it to the semi-final rounds, final rounds, and for Kaylee Gray who won first place overall,” Meggi Brown added.