fDUCATION

Let the academic It's 'fhursday after~oonat St. Cathenne of SIena

games begin Catholic School in Old----------~ Metairie. Outside, moms

BY DAWN RUTH and dads in SUVs giganticenough to carry a gang of children line up to pick up ordrop off a load. Many of the backpack laden, mussy-head­ed children crisscrossing the schoolyard are finished forthe day but some arejust arriving. Within a few minutes,over 100 new arrivals drop their backpacks in piles andenter a beige cavern decorated with "I've Got Milk" ads.They take their places at long rows of tables. Usually usedfor luncheon, these tables have been readied for battle.

Soon the chatter reaches deafening proportions. Theroar goes on unabated until Brother Neal Golden givesthe signal. The cacophony drops to a civilized hum; thegame is on.

Cade Daliet, a 6th grader at Edward Hynes CharterSchool, is pitted against two opponents from St.

Charles Borromeo of Destrehan - Cherie Belgeron, aregular, and Patrick Dupuy, a freelanceI'. No pleas­antries are exchanged. 'L'heboard comes out, the cubesare placed, the challenge card is positioned. Daliet isarmed with a fruit drink and a lime-colored Ring-Pop ­a lollipop resembling a baby's pacifier. Bergeron andDupuy play sugar free.

42 NEW ORLEANS I May 2008

A fTiendly discussion ensues about whose turn it istoplay. Cubes are tossed and an equation of numbers andsymbols is placed on the board. Each player writes onatablet. 'fhey hide their answers. More cubes are placedon the board. More tablet scribbling takes place. 'rhe firstplayer to create an equation resulting in the "goal"wins.

Daliet comes up with an equation but his opponentsdon't buy it. They question him. He sucks on the Ring­Pop, curly head still, face calm with confidence.

The challenge card goes up. A serious-faced refereeshows up.

"We don't understand how he got that," Bergeronexplains.

"1 can't explain it because its math," the referee says."but he's right."

The game goes on. They are all at the top of theirform, playing four rounds in 35 minutes; but in theend, Daliet pulls ahead. Without any formal farewells.the three go their separate ways. The following weekthey find out which schools' teams scored the highestnumber of points.

What's the game?Equations. It's one of the academic games that ele­

mentary through high school students play each weekincompetitions around the metro area and nationally.They also play Presidents, Propaganda, World Events, B

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Live and Silent Auction

EDUCATION

Linguishtik and On-sets, a logic game using math skills.'l'hese games are refreshingly retro. The equipment includes

a paper board and 24 cubes containing single digits and opera­tion signs such as the plus, minus and square root signs. Theycome in a plastic container that looks like an oversized VHSbox. No costly electronics. No flashy graphics. No Nikes. Nostrength training. It's a battle of wits requiring old-fashionedcritical thinking skills, strategy and patience.

The games allow students to apply their classroom skills ina competitive environment. Also, much of the material the stu­dents learn for competitions prepares them for future academ­ic challenges. In math, for example, students learn material inthe 7th and 8th grade that they aren't normally exposed tountil they take Algebra II in the 11th grade, says BrotherGolden, director of New Orleans Academic Games League.

"When they get in Algebra II, they say that's nothing new,"Brother Golden says.

Before Hurricane Katrina struck, the New Orleans Academic

Games League boasted a healthy number of public and privateschool teams. Brother Golden says the numbers dropped post­Katrina when many ofthe coaches didn't return after the storm.

"Weare still hoping to get some of the schools bac1\.,"he says.Other challenges include raising money to send top players

to national competitions and recruiting new players. SylviaBridges, Edward Hynes's faculty monitor, sponsored smoothieand 'l'-shirt sales at Hynes throughout the year to raise $800 tosend three players to the national competition in Florida at theend of April.

"I do it for the kids," Bridges says. "They need to be exposed."Hynes Charter is a newcomer to the game thanks to Dwayne

Fontenette, a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School, who

44 NE\V ORLEANS \ May 2008

has played the games since he was in the 5th grade at LakeForest Elementary in eastern New Orleans. Last year, whileplaying in a national tournament, he decided to coach a teamafter noting how few New Orleans schools, especially elemen­tary schools, were participating. His first phone call was toHynes and his proposal was accepted on the spot.

Now, he and four other Franklin students coach about 22players who meet once a week after school to prepare for theWednesday competitions. Students study additional gamematerials at home. Preparing and competing is time consum­ing but students say their time is well spent.

'Tm devoted to it," says Eva Someillan-'l'oohey, 12. "I believepractice makes perfect."

The games began nationally in the 1960s. Now,the AcademicGames Leagues of America sponsors competitions all over thecountry. Nearly 5,000 students a year compete in these eventsand national tournaments draw about 1,000 students, includ­ing some from foreign countries.

Brother Golden says that Mount Carmel Academy initiatedthe local games in 1966, after five of its female students partic­ipated in a national competition. He became involved whenMount Carmel invited area schools to join its players in compe­titions. Later as a coach, he wrote many of the worksheets andgame materials that players use for the game. At present, 21metropolitan area schools participate in the local league,including Vernon Haynes Junior High School, a JeffersonParish school that has a multi-trophy winning team that dom­inates the league_

At one competition held in the spring, Haynes players took astring of trophies, prompting Bridges, sitting at Hynes' table, tocomment, "Wejust have to clap for them and be good sports." '*

Heart &Soul Gala

Saturday, May 17th

Astor Crowne Plaza 6p. m.

Live entertainment by Deacon John

~at&t