ORLANDO, Fla. – In a marathon session that lasted 14 rounds, it was Christina Lewis, of Eccleston Elementary, who won the 2024 Orange County 4th-grade Math Bee.
News 6 anchor Ginger Gadsden hosted the event at St. Luke’s Founder’s Hall in Orlando.
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Lewis outlasted the other contestants in the Math Bee, which went that many round for the first time ever of the contest’s 13-year existence.
Officials went through more than 200 questions -- and nearly ran out -- before Lewis claimed the top prize.
Twenty-four schools participated in this year’s Math Bee, with Lewis taking home a trophy and a $1,000 prize.
The Math Bee is held in participating schools in three stages. The first round is held in all 4th-grade classrooms, with all students participating. The top four students from each classroom then participate in the School Final. The school champion then competes in the county final at St. Luke’s Founder’s Hall.
The Math Bee winner from each classroom receives a small cup trophy. Each student who makes the finals gets a T-shirt, a framed certificate and a medal. The top three final winners for the school final receive a trophy and a gift card. They receive $100 for first place, $50 for second, and $25 for third place.
For Thursday’s county invitational, the top three winners received a trophy and an award check. The awards are $1,000 for first, $500 for second and $250 for third place.