Eighth grade students compete in a counting bee at an assembly in the Howard L. Goff Middle School gymnasium on Wednesday, September 25.
Students at Howard L. Goff Middle School gained a new appreciation for math and numbers as they attended grade-level assemblies in the gym on Wednesday with The Human Calculator Scott Flansburg. Mr. Flansburg, who gained his special moniker from Regis Philbin, has been in the Guinness Book of World Records for speed of mental calculation. He is the creator of the National Counting Bee and has appeared on many television shows including Oprah, Ellen, The Today Show and Stan Lee’s Superhumans.
“The Human Calculator” Scott Flansburg doing math calculations at an assembly at Howard L. Goff Middle School.
During the assemblies, Mr. Flansburg showed off his amazing calculating skills by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing large numbers that were given to him on the spot by Math Teacher Morgan Rowse. Students audibly gasped and cheered at his mental math that verged on magic.
Mr. Flansburg showed students how to rethink mental math and revealed interesting patterns that they can recognize in numbers.
To conclude the assembly, students and teachers competed in a counting bee by adding numbers as quickly as they could in a 15-second time limit.
“The Human Calculator assembly provided a powerful, interactive and academically meaningful presentation on some of the mysteries behind math and noticing patterns,” said Lisa Mahar, English Language Arts and Multi-Tiered System of Supports Coordinator for the East Greenbush CSD. “Scott ignited a spark for learning more about numbers in not only the students but also the teachers; perfectly timed as we kick off the new year.”